Dhaka: New NAIA Infra Corp (NNIC) expects passenger traffic at Ninoy Aquino International Airport to rise about 5 percent from last year to 2.55 million during the holiday period from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4.

The airport operator said 171,306 passengers passed through the facility on Dec. 20, marking the highest single-day volume in the history of the Philippines’ main aviation hub. Flight activity also hit a record high with 950 movements recorded on that day.

Terminal 3 handled the largest share of the surge, accounting for more than half of total volume with over 90,000 passengers.

NNIC said operations remained stable despite the record numbers, aided by coordinated airside management involving gate allocation, airside control and ramp operations.

The company attributed the performance to its airside operations teams and close coordination between government agencies and private-sector stakeholders.

It noted that managing the surge required a unified system for air traffic flow, immigration processing, ground handling and terminal operations.

The record traffic occurs as the airport continues to operate beyond its original design capacity.

NNIC, which took over operations just over a year ago, said recent facility upgrades have helped improve efficiency.

These improvements include the rollout of biometric immigration e-Gates and new passenger processing systems, along with additional terminal space such as new food halls and waiting areas.

-B