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Passenger traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport during the holiday travel period is projected to increase by about 5% to around 2.55 million from last year
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NNIC forecasts NAIA to also host over 13,700 flights, exceeding last year’s holiday levels, as traffic is expected to rise across all terminals, led by Terminal 3
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On December 20, the highest single-day passenger volume in the airport’s history was recorded at 171,306 passengers
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NNIC said operational and facility upgrades introduced since it took over airport operations a little over a year ago have helped improve passenger flow and system efficiency during peak periods
Passenger traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) during the holiday travel period from December 2 to January 4, 2026 is projected to increase by about 5% from last year to around 2.55 million, according to airport operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC).
NNIC forecasts NAIA to also host over 13,700 flights exceeding last year’s holiday levels, as traffic is expected to rise across all terminals, led by Terminal 3.
On December 20, the highest single-day passenger volume in the airport’s history was recorded at 171,306 passengers passed through NAIA.
Flight activity also reached a high, with 950 movements recorded on the day, NNIC said in a statement.
Terminal 3 accounted for more than half of the total passenger volume, handling over 90,000 passengers — the largest share among all NAIA terminals.
Despite the volume, NNIC said airport operations remained stable, supported by coordinated airside management involving gate allocation, airside control, and ramp operations. The company credited its airside operations teams for managing aircraft movements and gate utilization under peak demand conditions.
READ: NAIA Terminal 3 now has biometric e-gates
NNIC added that close coordination among government agencies and private-sector stakeholders operating at the airport was critical in managing the surge, particularly in areas such as air traffic flow, immigration processing, ground handling, and terminal operations.
The airport’s performance, it said, depends on multiple entities functioning as a single system, especially during peak travel periods.
The strong holiday traffic comes as NAIA continues to operate beyond its original design capacity. NNIC said operational and facility upgrades introduced since it took over airport operations a little over a year ago have helped improve passenger flow and system efficiency during peak periods.
These include the rollout of new biometric immigration e-Gates and passenger processing systems, as well as the opening of additional passenger spaces at Terminal 3, including new food halls and waiting areas.
NNIC took over NAIA on September 14, 2024 after being awarded the 15-year contract to rehabilitate, expand, and operate the airport to address long standing capacity issues. The project aims to increase NAIA’s annual capacity to at least 62 million passengers from 35 million and enhance air traffic movement from 40 to 48 per hour.
Under the contract, the concessionaire has 15 years–extendable by another 10 years–to enhance airport passenger terminals, airside facilities, develop commercial assets and utility systems, and provide surface access facilities for intermodal transfer, inter-terminal passenger transfer facilities, and services, among other obligations.
