Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (PNA file photo by Cristina Arayata)
MANILA – The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has recorded over 620,000 domestic and international passengers at the country's main gateway ahead of "Undas" break.
MIAA data released Tuesday showed that from Oct. 26 to 30, international passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reached 295,841 and 324,282 for domestic travelers.
The influx of passengers is expected at this time of the year when Filipinos go home to the provinces for All Souls' and All Saints' Days on Nov. 1 and 2 to visit departed loved ones, go on vacation or cast their votes for the recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
Earlier, MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co said they are expecting an average of 120,000 to 130,000 passengers daily, or around 1.2 million from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5.
"We can assure our riding public that the MIAA is working with private stakeholders and government entities to make sure that we have the required number of personnel, equipment, as well as process enhancements," he said.
Co said the MIAA is not expecting "any significant surge" in the number of daily passengers they have been processing at the NAIA.
"Eight to 10 percent (increase) at most, but those are very tolerable limits," he added.
MIAA's data also indicated an average of 81.77 percent on-time performance (OTP) from Oct. 26 to 30, with the highest at 87 percent on Oct. 26, and lowest at 78.91 percent on Oct. 30.
The OTP is measured by the number of departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure and arrival times, including cancellations.
Co added the airlines have assured the MIAA they have dedicated some of their fleet as spare.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said operations remain normal and no untoward incident was reported in 42 airports.
CAAP is coordinating with local authorities and other government agencies for the "efficient processing of passengers, especially at the check-in counters". (PNA)
// NAIA file photo
