NAIA passengers breach 25 million mark

MANILA, Philippines — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) grew its passenger numbers by double digits in the first semester, putting it on track to hit the 50 million mark by yearend.

Based on records from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), passenger volume at NAIA grew by 13 percent to 25.11 million from January to June, from 22.22 million a year ago.

If this trend holds for the remaining half of the year, NAIA would exceed its pre-pandemic high of 47.69 million in 2019, and the gateway could even touch 50 million traffic.

Historically, airlines get a surge in flight bookings in October and November, as Filipinos return to their hometowns for the Undas season. Demand for air travel also picks up during December, when travelers fly out to their holiday destinations.

As of June, domestic passenger traffic has gone up by eight percent to 13.43 million, backed by a general desire among Filipinos to visit local destinations. NAIA has posted its highest domestic footprint so far at 2.41 million in June, when the previous school year ended.

Likewise, international passenger volume has increased by 20 percent to 11.68 million, showing the recovering state of overseas travel as airlines open new connections to and from Manila.

NAIA facilitated the departure and arrival of 146,474 flights in the six months to June, made up of 89,124 on the domestic segment and 57,350 on the international end.

Growth is expected to be sustained in the second half when new routes and more frequencies will be added in NAIA, mostly by domestic carriers Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines (PAL).

Cebu Pacific is mounting Manila trips to Kaohsiung this August to promote the southern section of Taiwan. By October, the airline most popular for its Piso Fares will become the lone carrier to fly between Manila and Chiang Mai.

PAL, for its part, is launching direct flights to Seattle in October, tightening its grip on domestic demand for US flights. Seattle will also serve as the airline’s sixth route in the US and eighth in North America.

NAIA is scheduled to be turned over to the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp., led by San Miguel Corp., in September to undergo a P170.6 billion rehabilitation.

Under this, the concessionaire is tasked to raise the passenger capacity of the airport to more than 60 million per annum to prepare it for future demand.