NAIA passengers hit 52 million in 2025

MANILA, Philippines —  The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recorded 52.02 million passengers last year, the highest ever, signaling that Philippine air travel is far from slowing down.

Airport operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) yesterday said the gateway posted a passenger volume of 52.02 million in 2025, breaking the 50.1 million in 2024.

The NAIA also registered its busiest month in history in December 2025, when the airport handled 4.86 million guests, as Filipinos booked local and overseas trips to celebrate the holiday season.

The NNIC attributed the record number to sustained demand for air travel, as Manila welcomed new airlines that expanded the flight options of inbound and outbound passengers.

In 2025, NAIA saw the entry of flag carriers Air Canada and Air India.

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines (PAL), also brought in more aircraft to increase the frequency of their flights.

Before 2025 ended, PAL took delivery of Southeast Asia’s first Airbus A350-1000, assigned primarily for transpacific flights.

The NNIC said the record number of passengers showed that NAIA is becoming a gateway of choice, whether Filipino or foreigner, for business or leisure and even for connecting passengers.

Led by San Miguel Corp., NNIC reported that NAIA operations stayed resilient even during peak periods, backed by service upgrades as part of the P170.6-billion rehabilitation.

The NAIA received a new batch of electronic gates for biometric immigration to speed up passenger movement between check-in counters and boarding gates.

“Managing high passenger volume requires both infrastructure and close coordination. The focus has been on improving flow, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring the airport handles peak demand more effectively,” NNIC said.

Sea travelers

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard said the PCG recorded 42,053 inbound and outbound sea travelers yesterday.

Of the number, 23,525 were outbound passengers and 18,528 were inbound travelers.

PCG personnel also inspected 204 vessels and 512 motorized boats. – Evelyn Macairan, Rudy Santos