NAIA Passenger Traffic Down 78% in 2020

NAIA Processed only 13.12 million Passengers in 2020

 1 March 2021

Passenger Air traffic in the Philippines spiraled 78 percent down last year as coronavirus pandemic forced government to close airports and its borders for several months beginning March 15 last year.

Data from the Civil Aeronautics Board disclosed total number of passenger traffic carried by domestic and international airlines reached only 13.12 million in 2020, down from close to 60 million in 2019.

 

Accordingly, International air passenger traffic fell 79.5 percent last year to 6.24 million from 30.52 million in 2019, while domestic passenger traffic decreased 76.7 percent to 6.88 million from 29.53 million. 

 

Philippine-based carriers, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Air Asia announced various retrenchment programs to stay afloat amidst trying times. 

 

CAB showed Cebu Pacific to have recorded the highest number of passengers transported last year, with 3.14 million domestic passengers, down by 75.9 percent from 13.03 million domestic passengers in 2019. 

 

Meanwhile, PAL Express carried 1.44 million domestic passengers, down by 79.42 percent from 7.01 million domestic passengers. Philippine Airlines on the other hand carried 401,033 domestic passengers last year, also down from 1.63 million domestic passengers in 2019.

 

Philippines AirAsia flew 1.38 million domestic passengers in 2020, down from 5.34 million domestic passengers in 2019. 

 

The airline regulator said of the 6.24 million international passengers last year, domestic airlines carried 3.13 million which declined from 16.47 million international passengers in 2019. 

 

Foreign carriers served only 3.11 million international passengers last year, also down from 14.05 million international passengers in 2019. 

 

PAL carried the most number of international passengers last year with 1.75 million, down from 7.6 million in 2019. 

 

This was followed by Cebu Pacific with 906,665 international passengers; Philippines AirAsia, 381,018 international passengers; and PAL Express, 12,037 international passengers.