The flight movements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have fully recovered and in fact, have increased by three percent compared to the pre-pandemic recorded airline traffic in 2019, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Based on the data from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), a total of 279,953 flights were recorded in 2023 which included 171,605 domestic and 108,348 international flights.
MIAA General Manager Eric Jose Ines said the flights recorded in 2023 represents a 26 percent increase compared to the 221,595 flights in 2022 and a three percent increase from the 271,535 registered in 2019.
“In terms of domestic flights, we’re recording 12% more than in 2019. This strong domestic rebound is not only a testament to the resilience of our local aviation industry but also reflects the support of travelers in revitalizing our domestic tourism sector,” said Ines.
“We have also returned international flight operations to 91% of pre-pandemic levels. We are encouraged by the renewed confidence in air travel, reaffirming our collective efforts to steer the aviation sector back to pre-pandemic levels. This is a significant step towards normalcy in global air travel,” he added.
In 2023, December logged the most flights with a total of 25,779.
In terms of passenger volume, Ines said the NAIA handled a total of 45,385,987 passengers which represents 95 percent of the 47,693,203 passengers in total for 2019.
He said the 2023 passenger traffic is 47 percent higher than the 30,943,105 passengers recorded in 2022.
July 2023, he said, had the most passengers with 4,185,555.
Ines said the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions has substantially boosted domestic tourism, as it is easier for passengers to travel to domestic destinations compared to international ones.
“With global borders opening up, international travel is rebounding, and it’s only a matter of time before we reach pre-pandemic levels for international flights and passengers,” said Ines.
MIAA earlier implemented measures to better handle the spike in flight movements and passenger volumes in anticipation of the continuous revival of the air travel industry.
The four NAIA terminals’ capacity was optimized through initiatives like the Schedule and Terminal Rationalization Assignment (STAR) program, which involved terminal reassignments for select airlines.
Moreover, because of the Airport Integrated Command and Control Center’s (AICCC) effective schedule management, MIAA is able to accommodate more flights, amounting to 800 flights departing from and arriving at NAIA within a 24-hour window.
Further improvements in facilities, infrastructure, equipment, runways, and terminals are expected to accommodate the increasing number of passengers and flights in the coming years, eventually handling up to 62 million passengers per year, with the NAIA Public Private Partnership (PPP) Project currently under bidding.