THE projected flight estimates at the premier Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals are poised to surpass the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 as the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) remains on track to achieve its year-end projections of 45 million passengers and 275,000 flights by the end of 2023.
This was the highly optimistic prediction made by MIAA general manager Bryan Co, who said that the figures reflect the resilience and recovery of the aviation industry in the Philippines.
Citing records, Co had said that the passenger volume at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for the first three quarters of 2023 has already surpassed the total number of domestic and international passengers that used NAIA terminals, the country’s main gateway, in 2022.
NAIA, it was learned, registered a total of 33,757,646 domestic and international passengers from January to September of this year, marking a nine percent increase over 2022’s total passenger volume of 30,943,105.
“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,” he said.
“Domestic and international flight movement remains robust, with 206,050 flights taking off and landing at NAIA from January to September 2023, up 31 percent from the same period in 2022 and two percent higher than the first three quarters of 2019,” he added.
For both passenger volume and flight movement, this year’s third-quarter performance has emerged as the strongest three-month period compared to this year’s first and second-quarter numbers.
Public Affairs Officer Consuelo ‘Connie’ Bungag, meanwhile said that since the pandemic, 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, Bungag said MIAA will be able to achieve its year-end projections in terms of the volume of passengers and flights, especially since along with this consistent upward trend, NAIA’s flight on-time performance (OTP) has improved considerably.
Under the stewardship of GM Co, Bungag said that the 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.
Co meanwhile explained that the result represents a major improvement from the OTP’s low of 60 percent in early June and that the decline may be 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.”
MIAA’s enhanced schedule reliability can be attributed to a strategic blend of software solutions and technology, combined with vigilant monitoring even as the airport successfully mitigated operational disruptions caused by Red Lightning Alerts by utilizing innovative technology and real-time monitoring systems, significantly enhancing OTP.
Furthermore, close collaboration with airlines and aviation stakeholders to address industry challenges ensured the timely deployment of required resources needed to support flight schedules, he said, adding that “MIAA remains committed to ensuring the safety, efficiency, and satisfaction of our travelers and stakeholders, and we will continue to work collaboratively with airlines and industry partners to sustain this positive trajectory in the months ahead.”
Amid all these, Co assures the traveling public that the MIAA has instituted measures to ensure the safety and security of NAIA passengers and users, flights, and facilities and that all protocols are in place for this purpose.
Foot and mobile patrols have been put in place and K9 units are doing the rounds of the NAIA terminals as added measures to its already established day-to-day protocols.
Too, the MIAA is in close coordination with the PNP-Aviation Security Unit of AVSEU and pertinent government law enforcement units tasked to validate any threat to national security.
Kudos to the MIAA and its officials, led by Co, for a job well done!!!
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