An airplane takes off from the Mactan Cebu International Airport in this photo taken on June 19, 2022. CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Latest figures from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) showed that the Mactan airport has already accommodated 1,609,122 passengers, both from domestic and international flights, during the first five months of 2022.
It surpassed MCIA’s performance in 2021 in which they only welcomed a total of 1.3 million passengers.
The passenger arrival for the period was 329 percent more compared to the 374,841 made for the same period in the previous year, when COVID-related restrictions were still in place as threats of the virus lingered.
Domestic passengers continue to account for the highest number of foot traffic in MCIA.
Of the 1.6 million passengers that passed through the airport between January to May 2022, around 1.4 million were bound for and coming from local destinations.
From January to May 2021, airport officials only recorded a total of 330,476 domestic passengers.
MCIA also recorded more international passengers this year. From 44, 365, arrivals from overseas flights in 2021, it jumped to 128, 618, translating to a 190 percent increase.
Aside from foot traffic, the Mactan airport also registered growth in terms of air traffic and cargo.
Between January to May this year, they served a total of 15,828 flights, both for local and international destinations. It was a 161 percent increase from the 6,058 made during the same period in the previous year.
The Mactan airport also processed around 4.4 million kilograms of cargo during the first five months of this year, a slight increase compared to the 4.3 million cargoes they handled in 2021.
Tourism stakeholders in Cebu expressed confidence that they may be able to recover this 2022 as the Philippines welcomed back fully vaccinated foreign travelers last February.
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