Philippines International Airlines

International passenger traffic in the Philippines rose 11.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

Data from CAB show that international passenger traffic reached 4.3 million in the January-March period, up from 3.85 million in the same three-month period last year.

The CAB said inbound passengers went up by 11.5 percent to 2.05 million from 1.84 million last year.  Outbound passengers also picked up 11.6 percent to 2.245 million from 2.01 million previously.

Of the 52 airlines with authority to fly in and out of the country, only 43 airlines operated during the period.  

Philippine Airlines flew 1.09 million international passengers in the first quarter, up from a million last year.   Cebu Pacific carried 711,478 passengers, up by 17.7 percent from 604,175 a year ago.

Air Philippines Express flew 34,914 international passengers; Zest Airways, 68,991; Southeast Asian Airlines, 64,157; and Mandarin Airlines, 11,394.

Other airlines that carried passengers during the period were Cathay Pacific Airways, 357,587; Singapore Airlines, 162,837; Korean Air, 159,960; Japan Airlines, 68,734; China Airlines, 65,021; Emirates Air, 149,923; Qatar Airways, 119,605; Thai Airways, 57,440; and Tiger Airways, 53,634.