The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expects 2.2 million passengers this December.

In a “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” briefing Tuesday, CAAP Spokesperson Eric Apolonio said that every year they expect an increase of up to 10 percent in the passengers arriving during the holiday season.

“Well so far, last year, in December 2022, we had two million passengers and we expect that it will increase this year. Normally, in our experience, the increase is seven to 10 percent every year during the holiday season like Christmas and New Year. So we expect that this year, there will be 2.2 million passengers this December,” Apolonio said.

“There are more local tourists because they use air travel which is more convenient for them. The airlines also have many promos so the airfare is more cheap. They are after its convenience and how fast it can take them to their destination,” he added.

Apolonio said they are conducting “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos Pasko” from December 15 to January 2 together with the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) and the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSE) to ensure that passengers have safe travels during the holiday season.

“We will all have Malasakit Help Desks where passengers can complain if they have an issue with their flight at the airport,” he said.

“All 44 commercial airports of CAAP have Office of Transportation Security personnel assigned there to screen the luggage. And the PNP-AVSE Group supports them by ensuring the peaceful surroundings of the airports,” he added.

Apolonio reminded passengers to be at the airport three hours before their travel to avoid inconveniences caused by the influx of passengers during the holidays. Jaspearl Tan/DMS