MIAA: NAIA saw highest foreign passenger volume, flight movements since pandemic

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Saturday said that, in April, the country’s main gateway saw its highest passenger volume and flight movements in a single month since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the MIAA said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) handled 1,677,779 international passengers and 9,089 international flights last month.

This was more than double the number of passengers and planes that have taken off and landed at the premier gateway compared to April 2022, when there were 663,824 international passengers and 4,494 international flights.

“Summer is indeed a popular time for vacation and international travel, not only for Filipinos taking advantage of airlines’ promotional fares or using travel funds for flights they couldn't use due to the pandemic, but also for our international visitors wanting to see the Philippines,” said MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co.

“After more than two years of closed borders, we expect the momentum of recovery to continue for tourism and the aviation industry," added Co.

The MIAA acting chief said the NAIA welcomed 1,178,461 passengers overall in the first ten days of April as travelers took advantage of the long Holy Week break.

Combined with domestic figures, the MIAA said NAIA registered a total of 3,666,503 passengers and 22,816 flights in April 2023.

The total number of passengers represents a 50% rise from the 2,447,795 passengers in April 2022, and accounts for 86% of the 4,261,352 passengers in April 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.

Flight movement also increased by 28% compared to the 17,774 flights in the same month last year, and is equivalent to 98% of the 23,327 flights in April 2019.

The MIAA said it recorded an average of 75.20% flight on-time performance (OTP) in April 2023, an improvement from April 2022’s OTP rating of 71.24%. — DVM, GMA Integrated News