The number is lightly higher than the volume recorded over the same period last year.
In its press statement on Saturday, March 28, the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the private consortium operating the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), disclosed its projections for Holy Week 2026.
According to the company, they are expecting more than 1.35 million passengers to travel through the airport during the peak travel period from March 28 to April 5.
For the nine-day travel window, passenger volume is projected to reach, it told, 1,353,265 will be using its terminals compared with the 1,326,730 during the Semana Santa in 2025.
NNIC also noted passenger demand remains strong, but the increase is lower than earlier expected due to flight suspensions and operating restrictions affecting some Middle East services.
NNIC also said that Easter Sunday, April 5, is expected to be the busiest day of the period, with projected traffic of 158,884 passengers.
Today, March 28, they are expecting 157,804 to pass through their terminals, while daily passenger volume throughout theperiod is expected to remain above 143,000.
Of the three terminals, Terminal 3 is projected to handle the largest share of traffic at 712,932 passengers, followed by Terminal 2 with 346,342 and Terminal 1 with 293,990.
To help manage the holiday rush, NNIC said it has “put in place additional measures across the airport, including the deployment of more personnel at check-in counters, immigration and security screening areas, closer coordination with airlines and ground handlers, extended hours for passenger assistance desks, and real-time monitoring of terminal congestion.“
Furthermore, these measures are being implemented in coordination with government partners including the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Office for Transportation Security (OTS), the airlines, ground handlers, and other airport stakeholders.
“NNIC advises passengers to check flight advisories, allow extra travel time, and arrive at the airport early as agencies and service providers work to manage the annual Holy Week surge,” the operator continued. “International passengers are also reminded to complete their eTravel registration before proceeding to the airport to help avoid delays in processing.“
Since taking over airport operations in September 2024, NNIC has been working on easing congestion, upgrading passenger facilities, improving terminal operations, and raising overall service standards.
Some upgrades done were on key passenger areas, the traffic and queue management, improvements to airside and landside coordination, and the introduction of new systems and facilities like the automatic gates and self check-in counters.