Passenger volume skyrocketed as cargo traffic surged in domestic ports during the third quarter with the easing of mobility restrictions, according to the Philippine Ports Authority.
Passenger traffic jumped 233.54 percent to 15.71 million in July to September from only 4.71 million in the same period last year, PPA said.
The figures are expected to rise further in the last quarter as the holiday season is expected to boost inter-island travel.
Meanwhile, container traffic increased 9.7 percent to 2.03 million 20-foot equivalent units in the third quarter from 1.85 million TEU in the same period in 2021.
Domestic containers handled at the ports were up 9.47 percent to 759,884 TEUs from 694,142 TEUs, while foreign boxes rose 10.4 percent to 1.27million TEUs versus the 1.15 million TEUs last year.
Of the total foreign boxes, 650,106 TEUs were imports while export boxes accounted for 629,381 TEUs 10.75 percent and 10.08 percent more than last year, respectively.
