This early, the passenger volume at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has already exceeded the figure registered in 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) disclosed on Sunday, Oct. 8.

Citing their data, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said NAIA has registered a total of 33,757,646 domestic and international passengers from January to September of this year compared to 2022’s total passenger volume of 30,943,105.

He said the figure registered for the first three quarters of this year indicate a nine percent increase in passenger volume compared to the entire passenger volume registered in 2022.

“This figure signifies a remarkable 59 percent surge in passenger volume during the same period in 2022 and is equivalent to 95 percent of the first three quarters’ performance in 2019, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Bautista. 

He also disclosed that the September flight on-time performance matches 2023 highest rate.

Domestic and international flight movement remains robust, with 206,050 flights taking off and landing at NAIA from January to September 2023, up three percent from the same period in 2022 and two percent higher than the first three quarters of 2019, according to the DOTr. 

For both passenger volume and flight movement, it added that this year’s third quarter performance has emerged as the strongest three-month period compared to this year’s first and second quarter numbers. 

Since the pandemic, Manila International Airport Authority  (MIAA) Officer-in-Charge Bryan Co  said, July 2023 saw the most passengers in a single month with 4,185,555, while August 2023 logged the most flights in a month at 23,969.

“With this consistent growth, MIAA remains on track to achieve our year-end projections of 45 million passengers and 275,000 flights by the end of 2023,” said Co.

“These projected flight estimates are poised to surpass the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, reflecting the resilience and recovery of the aviation industry in the Philippines,” he added.

Along with this consistent upward trend, he said, NAIA’s flight on-time performance (OTP) has improved considerably. MIAA held an average OTP of 80 percent in September 2023, matching the highest average OTP rate recorded this year in March. Conforming to accepted international standards, flights that depart and arrive at NAIA within 15 minutes of the scheduled time are regarded as on-time.

“This result represents a major improvement from the OTP’s low of 60 percent in early June. This decline was attributed to hurdles such as the temporary suspension of all flight and ground operations at NAIA during a Red Lightning Alert, as well as issues with aircraft maintenance and spare parts that disrupted major airline operations,” said Co. 

Reliability of schedule

Co said MIAA’s enhanced schedule reliability can be attributed to a strategic blend of software solutions and technology, combined with vigilant monitoring. 

The airport successfully mitigated operational disruptions caused by Red Lightning Alerts by utilizing innovative technology and real-time monitoring systems, significantly enhancing OTP. 

He said close collaboration with airlines and aviation stakeholders to address industry challenges ensured the timely deployment of required resources needed to support flight schedules.

Security of passengers

Amid the expected influx of more passengers for the remaining days of this year, Co assured the public that it has instituted measures to ensure safety of NAIA passengers, flights and facilities.

He said foot and mobile patrols are in place and K9 units are doing the rounds of the Terminals as added measures to its already established day-to-day protocols.

The MIAA is in close coordination with the PNP AVSEU (Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Unit) and pertinent government law enforcement units tasked to validate any threat to national security,” said Co. 

“There are no expected impacts to any scheduled flights and we would like to assure the travelling public that protocols are in place to ensure everyone's safety and security,” he added.