DOMESTIC and international passenger volume at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) surged to 33.76 million in the first nine months, exceeding 2022’s full-year tally, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
“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,” Bryan Andersen C. Co, MIAA officer-in-charge, said in a statement on Sunday.
The passenger tally at the end of the period surpassed the 30.94 million full-year total in 2022. It was up 59% against the year-earlier period.
“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,” Mr. Co said.
MIAA said its domestic and international aircraft movements, or takeoffs and landings, amounted to 206,050, up 31% from a year earlier.
NAIA’s flight on-time performance (OTP) also improved to 80% in September.
“This result represents a major improvement from the OTP low of 60% in early June. This decline was attributed to hurdles such as the 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,” MIAA said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
