The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Monday said the airlines should have no problem keeping their on-time performance (OTP) during the Undas or day of the dead holidays.
Following a peak OTP of 80 percent in September, which matched the high posted in March this year, the airlines’ OTP rating has shown further improvement in October.
In the first 18 days of the month, the airlines recorded an average OTP of 82.38 percent over 13,519 flights that operated at NAIA, indicating that a significant majority of flights departed and arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, well within international standards.
From October 1 to 18, the MIAA accommodated 2,076,062 passengers at the NAIA, with daily counts varying from 109,000 to 123,000.
MIAA officer in charge, Bryan Co, remains positive that the rising trend in OTP will be sustained as the season peaks.
This confidence is backed by successful operations during “OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2023” in April, which managed 1,179,398 passengers traveling through the nation’s premier gateway over a ten-day period.
The Holy Week peak this year recorded 7,408 flights, or an average 741 flights daily, with average OTP of 84.76 percent, enhancing the NAIA’s operational efficiency during this busy period and improving the overall terminal experience for travelers.
“With the commitment of our airline and industry partners, we aim to maintain our strong OTP record from the Lenten rush this year,” Co said.
“Our objective is to minimize crowding in passenger and aircraft movement through the timely dispatch of flights. We’re striving to establish this as a norm at the NAIA,” he said.
Co also said airlines have developed contingency plans to avoid compromising passenger comfort. Cebu Pacific, for instance, has increased its spare aircraft number to mitigate effects of any flight disruptions due to unforeseen incidents. They have also teamed up with Terminal 3 food stalls to cater to their passengers during any flight delay or disruption.
The Philippine Airlines recently launched a paid lounge in Terminal 2, offering an additional comfort option for passengers.
Air Asia, meanwhile, plans to establish multiple customer help desks in Terminal 2 and promote self check-in through kiosks or via the Airasia Superapp.
The Department of Transportation’s nationwide “OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: Barangay & SK Elections and Undas 2023” takes place from 27 October to 5 November this year.
