The total number of flights recorded across all Philippines airports reached 280,000 in 2023, already surpassing 2019 levels when flights numbered around 250,000, according to information from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
As per Philippine News Agency, this figure includes every airport in the Philippines and is not restricted to the 44 commercial airports operated directly by CAAP.
It also comes after the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) reported over the weekend a 3% increase in flight movements at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in 2023 when compared to 2019, reaching 279,953 flights.
This, said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, is in line with the MIAA’s efforts to increase NAIA’s hourly aircraft movements from its current 40 to between 44 and 48 via expansion and privatization.
“CAAP has been requested to improve the air traffic movement per hour,” Bautista explained. “Of course, it’s a big task to have movements per hour up to 40 which never happened in the past, although I believe that there are instances that we are able to do that already on selected hours.”
The rise in traffic at Manila’s NAIA included a 12% increase in domestic flights when compared to pre-pandemic levels, while international flights reached 91% of 2019 levels last year.
RelatedPosts
