Philippine officials advised the public that measures are in place in the country’s airports as they brace themselves for the coming holiday exodus.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 16th December, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) has augmented its manpower component ahead of the rush, anticipating congestion at both entry and exit points.
These personnel will be deployed at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as well as other major gateways throughout the country.
According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, NAIA currently has 673 immigration personnel supported by 81 secondary officers, while total manpower in all ports reached 957, with 132 secondary officers as backup.
Sandoval said: "The BI is ready for the peak travel season. Additional personnel are on duty at major ports of entry. Measures are in place to ensure safe, orderly, and efficient processing, with due consideration for passenger convenience and security.”
Going biometric
As a way of mitigating the long queues at the NAIA, operator New NAIA Infra Corp (NNIC) rolled out new biometric immigration gates on Tuesday, allowing passengers to clear immigration in about 20 seconds.
The country's main gateway is expecting 2,553,622 passengers across all NAIA terminals between 20th December 2025 and 4th January 2026.
Meanwhile, the 44 commercial airports operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are on heightened alert, as they are expecting around 960,000 passengers across 44 airports throughout the duration of the holiday season
