The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) welcomed more than twice as many passengers in the first quarter of this year compared to the figures for the same period in 2022.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which manages NAIA, recorded a total of 10,855,332 passengers in the first three months of 2023, a 158 percent increase over the 4,200,575 passengers that traveled through the country's primary gateway in the first three months of 2022.

This is only six percent lower than the pre-coronavirus total of 11,587,919 travelers during the same period in 2019.

In addition, flight movements during the first quarter of 2023 totaled 67,781, a 77 percent increase over the first quarter flight movement of 38,269 in 2022.

This is also four percent more than the 65,161 flights in the first three months of 2019.

“With the reopening of borders in countries such as Hong Kong and China, as well as the easing of travel restrictions, many travelers have regained confidence to fly in and out of the Philippines for both leisure and business purposes,” MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong said.

MIAA saw a strong domestic market in the Philippines in the first three months of 2023.

A total of 6,164,985 passengers traveled on 42,331 flights, surpassing the domestic flight and passenger movement set in the first quarter of 2019, when 5,451,655 passengers traveled on 36,206 flights.

“Because domestic borders opened earlier than international borders, airlines are deploying a lot of flights right now to serve our local destinations. Our domestic sector is thriving, and we are seeing the results of the government’s efforts to revive tourism,” Chiong explained.

“As the aviation industry recovers from the effects of the pandemic, passenger numbers are likely to rise further in the coming months and years,” the airport chief added.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest monthly flight and passenger totals have been March 2023's 23,399 flights and January 2023's 3,766,546 passengers. DOTr