PHILIPPINE passenger volume grew 9.4% in the first quarter of the year, according to latest data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
Passenger traffic reached 3.83 million from January to March, up 330,000 passengers compared with the 3.50 million passengers registered in the same period last year.
Of the total, 1.83 million passengers entered the country and 1.99 million traveled abroad. Inbound passengers increased 9.26% from 1.68 million while outbound passengers reached 1.99 million, up 8.15% from 1.84 million last year.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) took the top spot with Cebu Pacific in second place.
PAL carried 1.006 million passengers, 6.8% higher than the 942,144 passengers carried in the same period last year.
Cebu Pacific transported 604,175, 25% more than last year’s 483,182 million.
Zest Air flew 39,990 passengers from 15,283 a year ago; Airphil Express, 38,940; Southeast Asian Airlines, 35,557; and Spirit of Manila, 3,615.
Top international airlines operating in and out of the Philippines were Cathay Pacific Airways which carried 343,294 passengers followed by Singapore Airlines, 160,186; Korean Air, 141,288; Emirates Air, 138,003; Qatar Airways, 89,487; Japan Airlines, 61,067; China Airlines, 67,246; Thai Airways, 57,713; and Mandarin Airlines, 7,078.
CAB said passage sector growth could be between 12% and 15% for 2011 due to continued strong performance of the Asian aviation industry and the operation of Air Asia beginning September.
