NAIA Logs 1.29 Million Passengers During Undas Travel Period, Up 4.4% Year on Year
Key Takeaways
- •Passenger traffic at Ninoy Aquino International Airport reached 1.29 million during the Undas travel period, a 4.4% increase year on year that exceeded operator NNIC's initial projection of 1% growth.
- •Domestic traffic rose faster than international volume, climbing 4.86% to 642,194 passengers, in line with the Undas tradition of returning to home provinces for All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day observances.
- •International traffic made up the majority of the total at 649,691 passengers, a 3.94% rise from 625,056 a year earlier.
- •NAIA recorded its highest single-day volume of the period on Oct. 30, when 153,901 passengers passed through just ahead of the Nov. 1–2 observances.
- •NNIC, which assumed management of NAIA in September 2024 under a government concession, set up a 24-hour command center at Terminal 2 and boosted coordination with airlines and ground handlers to handle the travel surge.
MANILA — Passenger traffic at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Philippines' main international gateway, rose 4.4% year on year to 1.29 million during the Undas travel period, according to New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the airport's private operator.
In a media release issued on Thursday, NNIC said the figure exceeded its initial forecast. "NNIC had initially projected a conservative 1% increase for the Undas travel period, compared with the same period in 2025," it said. The gap between the 1% projection and the 4.4% actual increase underscores the pace of demand growth at the gateway that NNIC is tasked with modernizing under its concession.
International traffic accounted for the majority of the volume at 649,691 passengers, up 3.94% from 625,056 a year earlier. Domestic traffic rose 4.86% to 642,194 from 612,419. The faster domestic growth aligns with the holiday's homecoming pattern, when Filipinos traditionally travel to their home provinces.
The operator said it recorded its highest single-day volume on Oct. 30, when 153,901 passengers passed through the airport — a peak that fell just ahead of the Nov. 1–2 observances.
Undas is the Filipino term for the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day observances in early November, when Filipinos traditionally travel to their home provinces to visit and pay respects to deceased loved ones. The period is consistently among the busiest travel seasons of the year for the country's airlines and airports.
To prepare for the expected surge, NNIC said it strengthened coordination with airlines, ground handlers, and transport providers. It also established a 24-hour command center at Terminal 2 to enable coordinated operations and incident response within the airport.
"NNIC said it continues to improve passenger processing, terminal access, and airport facilities as NAIA accommodates growing travel demand," it said. The coming year-end holiday season, traditionally another peak period for Philippine air travel, offers the next window to observe how those terminal improvements perform under heavy volume.
NNIC assumed management and operations of NAIA in September 2024 under a concession agreement with the Philippine government, taking over the country's principal gateway as part of a public-private partnership aimed at modernizing its facilities.
Report by Ashley Erika O. Jose, published by BusinessWorld: 1.29M NAIA passengers logged during Undas
