The Manila International Airport Authority said travel volume is returning to the pre-pandemic level as it recorded 22,815 flights and 3,766,546 passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in January.
MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong attributed the significant increase to people’s renewed confidence to travel.
“In comparison to January 2019, which saw 22,165 flights and 4,058,236 passengers, January 2023 recorded 22,815 flights and 3,766,546 passengers. With NAIA recovering 65 percent of its pre-pandemic passenger volume and 82 percent of its pre-pandemic flight movements, MIAA foresees a busier 2023,” Chiong said.
He said MIAA hopes to sustain this momentum as more nations open their borders and more restrictions are lifted.
Chiong said in 2022, despite a slow start to the year due to the Omicron variant and other global concerns, air travel rebounded strongly, with NAIA receiving nearly 30.9 million passengers, an increase of more than 300 percent from the 7.67 million passengers it had in 2021.
The year ended on a strong note, with NAIA posting its highest monthly passenger volume—1,485,968 in December 2022—since the start of the pandemic.
Even though the numbers were still well below the agency’s 2019 recorded volume of 47.69 million passengers, MIAA remains optimistic that 2023 would be a busier year for NAIA.
“We have high hopes and expectations for 2023 because of the increasing trend not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. We believe that what we are experiencing is people’s reawakened desire to travel,” Chiong said.
Chiong said after being isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic, people are eager to see the world again and cross items off their bucket lists that they have put off for more than two years.