MANILA – Measures are in place as airports across the country gear up for the expected influx this holiday season, authorities said on Tuesday.
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other major gateways, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has deployed additional manpower to help ease congestion.
“The BI is ready for the peak travel season. Additional personnel are on duty at major ports of entry,” spokesperson Dana Sandoval told the Philippine News Agency.
NAIA now has 673 BI personnel, with 81 secondary officers as backup.
Sandoval said the total manpower in all ports reached 957, with 132 secondary officers as backup.
“Measures are in place to ensure safe, orderly, and efficient processing, with due consideration for passenger convenience and security,” Sandoval said.
Also to help address the long queues at the NAIA, operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) rolled out the Immigration electronic gates (e-gates) on Tuesday, allowing passengers to clear immigration in about 20 seconds. The official launch was attended by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and NNIC president Ramon Ang.
The country’s main gateway is expecting 2,553,622 passengers across all NAIA terminals from Dec. 20, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026.
Meanwhile, the 44 commercial airports operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are on heightened alert.
Personnel in help desks are ready to provide assistance, according to CAAP information officer Bea Bernardo.
CAAP is expecting around 960,000 passengers across 44 airports from Dec. 20, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026.
There were 895,429 passengers in the 44 CAAP-operated airports year-over-year. (PNA)
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