NAIA rises in rankings of world’s internationally connected airports

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has established itself as one of the most internationally connected airports in the world.

Known by its International Air Transport Association code MNL, it ranked 15th in the top 50 global airport megahubs and secured third spot in the top 25 low-cost carrier airport megahubs.

According to the 2023 Megahubs Index by OAG, a leading provider of digital flight information, intelligence and analytics for airports, MNL has climbed from 29th place in 2019 to 15th place this year in terms of international connectivity.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) emerged as the dominant air carrier with a 32 percent share of flights.

In this list, led by the UK’s London Heathrow Airport, MNL also ranks sixth among the top international megahubs in the Asia Pacific region, following KUL (Malaysia), HND (Japan), ICN (Republic of Korea), BKK (Thailand), and SIN (Singapore).

OAG noted, “The presence of seven Asian airport hubs in the Global Top 20 is significant considering the region is still on the path towards a full recovery.”

Currently, MNL hosts 40 international carriers serving 58 international destinations.

The latest addition to NAIA’s roster in 2023 is ZIPAIR, which launched its first flight between Manila and Narita last July. Additionally, PAL has introduced nonstop flights to Perth, and Air China now directly connects Tianfu Chengdu to NAIA.

HK Express is set to launch its inaugural flight between Manila and Hong Kong on Oct. 13, while United Airlines is scheduled to launch nonstop flights connecting Manila with San Francisco starting Oct. 30.

Among the top 25 megahubs for low-cost international