CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) --The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) expresses confidence that airlines will sustain their current On-Time Performance (OTP) during the Undas season of 2023.

Following a peak OTP of 80% in September, which matched the high recorded in March of the same year, the OTP rating has shown further improvement in October. Over the first 18 days of the month, MIAA recorded an average OTP of 82.38% from the 13,519 flights that operated at NAIA, indicating that a significant majority of flights departed and arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, well within international standards.

From October 1 to 18, MIAA accommodated 2,076,062 passengers at NAIA, with daily counts varying between 109,000 to 123,000.

MIAA Officer in Charge, Bryan Co, remains positive that the rising trend in OTP will be sustained during the peak season. This confidence is backed by successful operations during "OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2023" in April, which managed 1,179,398 passengers traveling through the nation's premier gateway over a ten-day period.

The Holy Week peak this year recorded 7,408 flights, averaging 741 flights daily, with an impressive average OTP of 84.76%, enhancing NAIA's operational efficiency during this busy period and improving the overall terminal experience for travelers.

"With the commitment of our airline and industry partners, we aim to maintain our strong OTP record from the Lenten rush this year," said MIAA's Bryan Co. "Our objective is to minimize crowding in passenger and aircraft movement areas through the timely dispatch of flights. We're striving to establish this as a norm at NAIA. Thanks to our partnerships with airlines and government agencies, passengers are starting to notice a positive shift in NAIA operations."

Co further noted that airlines have developed contingency plans to avoid compromising passenger comfort. Cebu Pacific, for instance, with the most local destinations, has increased its spare aircraft number to mitigate effects of any flight disruptions due to unforeseen incidents. They have also teamed up with Terminal 3 food stalls to cater to their passengers during any flight delays or disruptions.

Philippine Airlines has recently launched a paid lounge in Terminal 2, offering an additional comfort option for passengers.

Air Asia, meanwhile, plans to establish multiple customer help desks in Terminal 2 and promotes self check-in through kiosks or the Airasia Superapp.

The Department of Transportation's nationwide "OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: Barangay & SK Elections and Undas 2023" will take place from October 27 to November 5. (miaa/pia-ncr)