Flights in and out of CV drop to 13.52% in 2014

CEBU, Philippines - The National Economic and Development Authority-7 reported that domestic flights coming in and out of the airports in Central Visayas declined by 13.52% from January to September 2014.

Latest data from NEDA-7 obtained by The FREEMAN indicated domestic flights in January-September last year went down to 40,244 from 46,538 in the same period in 2013. During the said period, the number of local passengers also fell 5.10% to 4.7 million in 2014 from 4.9 million a year earlier.

However, international flights grew 4.65% in the first nine months of 2014 to 8,778 from 8,388 in the same period a year ago. Overseas passengers slightly decreased 0.77% in the nine-month period in 2014 to 1.28 million from 1.29 million in 2014.

These were flights and travelers logged in Mactan Cebu International Airport, Dumaguete Airport and Tagbilaran Airport. MCIA recorded majority of the flights and passengers followed by the airport of Tagbilaran and that of Dumaguete. 

Figures for fourth quarter and the whole year were not readily available as the economic planning agency are still to process them, it said.

The NEDA-7 data also showed flights and passengers that the region’s three major airports recorded in the 2014 nine-month period were generally lower compared to that of 2013.

For instance, MCIA’s flights in the first quarter of 2014 went down 3.6% to 15,782 from 16,376 in Q1 2013. A decrease was also noted in the succeeding quarters. Tagbilaran and Dumaguete airports also registered decreases in the number of flights and passengers in the first three quarters.

“There [were] many flights that were cancelled and the airlines would often change the schedule,” NEDA-7 cited as one of reasons for the decrease. “Sometimes they [would] put a noon flight and then take it away a few weeks later.”

The agency added: “They [airlines] also mentioned that number of flights for February and March would decrease as the airlines will cancel a single flight per day in order to respond to the lower demand from passengers.”

On the other hand, domestic air cargo volumes in CV in January-September last year plunged 2.42% to 35.6M kilograms from 36.5M kg in the same period in 2013.

But international air shipment volumes went up 2.78% in the said period last year to 11.6M kg from 11.3M kg in 2013. — Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)