By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — International passenger traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) increased 2.6% year-on-year to 19.93 million from January 1 to October 22, 2026, as travel demand remained resilient despite disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.
Airport operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) reported an additional 507,772 international passengers compared with the 19.42 million recorded during the same period last year.
The upward trend continued in October, with international traffic reaching 1,389,882 passengers in the first 22 days, representing a 2.05% increase.
NNIC General Manager Lito Alvarez said the sustained growth reflected continued demand for travel to and from the Philippines despite challenges confronting the global aviation industry.
He said the airport operator was working to ensure NAIA could accommodate increasing passenger numbers through facility improvements, dependable operations and better services.
International travelers accounted for 48.1% of NAIA’s total passenger volume, compared with 46.6% a year earlier. Domestic traffic, however, dropped 3.4% to 21.49 million passengers.
Several airlines are expanding their international operations to Manila.
Air France has resumed flights to the Philippines, while Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to introduce nonstop Manila-Chicago services in November and flights to Delhi and Mumbai in December, subject to regulatory approval for the Indian destinations.
Delta Air Lines is scheduled to begin nonstop Los Angeles-Manila flights in March 2027, initially operating three times weekly before shifting to daily service in June.
India’s IndiGo is also expected to launch Manila services, adding more connections between the Philippines and international destinations.
NAIA placed sixth worldwide in international low-cost carrier connectivity in the 2026 Megahubs index released by aviation data provider OAG, underscoring its role as a major hub for budget international travel.
Airport operations also showed improvement during the period.
System-wide on-time performance reached 81.07% from January 1 to October 22, up from 77.92% in the corresponding period last year.
The improvement of 3.15 percentage points came amid continuing airport modernization efforts.
On-time arrivals averaged 82.09%, while departures posted 80.05%.
NAIA accommodated a record 52 million passengers in 2025, exceeding its original annual design capacity of 35 million.
NNIC has continued implementing infrastructure upgrades while keeping airport operations running.
The company said more than P6.8 billion had been spent on completed and ongoing improvements, including 78 automated immigration e-gates at Terminals 1 and 3, expanded curbside and parking facilities, better transport access and improved passenger navigation.
Upgrades also covered waiting areas, lounges, restrooms, boarding facilities, terminal infrastructure and food and retail establishments.
Among the projects still underway are improvements to the control tower and its systems, baggage handling, power infrastructure and aircraft handling facilities.
The new North Wing Bus Gate at Terminal 2 and additional passenger boarding bridges are expected to be operational soon.
Under its public-private partnership agreement, NNIC operates and modernizes NAIA while sharing airport revenues with the government.
The company reported that its government remittances reached P83.6 billion as of October 15, 2026, since it assumed airport operations in September 2024.
