MIAA reports 81.53% on-time performance on April 5

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) reported an airline on-time performance (OTP) of 81.53% on Wednesday, April 5, with 1.2 million passengers expected over the Lenten break.

The latest OTP — which indicates that flights depart and arrive on time —  compares with the 87.07% recorded on Tuesday, April 4; 91.67% on Monday, April 3; 86.60% on Sunday, April 2; and 70.21% on Saturday, April 1.

“This demonstrates that we are able to prevent passenger crowding at the airport due to the continuous dispatch, departure, and arrival of flights. Queueing also has become manageable,” MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong said in a statement.

“This is the result of our collaboration with the airlines, ground handlers and the various government agencies working at NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) such as the Bureau of Immigration and the Office for Transportation Security (OTS), among others,” he added.

Chiong also said a total of 583,007 travelers were monitored at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s main gateway, from April 1 to 5, which accounted for over 3,675 commercial flights.

Malacañang last week announced the suspension of work in all government office starting 12 p.m. on April 5, to give employees ample time to travel across the country.

It earlier declared April 6 (Maundy Thursday) and April 7 (Good Friday) as regular holidays. It also announced the move of the Araw ng Kagitingan to April 10, making it a non-working holiday.

The MIAA earlier called on travelers to head to NAIA four hours before international flights and two hours before domestic flights, as it expects 20,000 additional passengers daily starting in the Holy Week.

Just last month a viral video circulated online, with a passenger saying she failed to catch her flight due to a lengthy interview with an immigration officer who asked her to show a yearbook among others as part of the supporting documents for her trip to Israel.

The BI has since committed to boosting its electronic gates to lessen processing times at the immigration counters. It is also set to eliminate paper-based departure cards starting May 1, 2023.

“MIAA and its management have really prepared for (the influx). They have people to assist, to see to it that when there are questions from passengers, this will be addressed,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

“When there are issues, these will be taken care of. That’s an assurance that GM Chiong has given to us, especially to the Department of Transportation,” he added.—with Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News