IATA: Asia-Pacific sees strong demand in air travel this year

Aircraft are seen parked at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the Philippines’ second busiest air hub. | Photo by Carl Lorenciana

MANILA, Philippines —The Asia Pacific aviation sector, including the Philippines, had a robust beginning to the year with sustained momentum in air travel demand, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

According to the latest data from IATA, passenger traffic in the region saw significant growth in the first two months of the year, with a 45.4 percent increase in January and a 53.2 percent increase in February.

“Asia Pacific continued to lead the regions in terms of growth, as the comeback of international travel from and to that region continued,” IATA said.

READ: S&P: Asia-Pacific aviation sector on path to full recovery by 2024

The association noted the Lunar New Year celebration boosted the plane ticket sales during the period as tourists went on leisure trips.

Globally, IATA shared that passenger traffic has been rising since the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions that had curtailed mobility to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Passenger load factor improved by 1.9 percentage points in February from the previous year. A higher passenger load factor indicated “the return of available seat supply and passenger demand on a global scale,” IATA explained.

READ: Airline passenger volume soared by 55% in 2023

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the country’s main international gateway, also saw heavier foot traffic during the first two months. In January to February, passenger volume was up 13 percent to 8.04 million from 7.14 million a year ago.

Broken down, international passengers grew by 27 percent to 3.91 million while domestic volume inched up 1 percent to 4.13 million passengers for the period.

Naia is about to undergo a major rehabilitation by September, with San Miguel Corp.-led New Naia Infrastructure Corp. taking charge of the big-ticket project.