Travel to and from Middle Eastern countries has taken a significant hit, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado acknowledged Wednesday, even as overall international passenger movement at Philippine ports of entry remained broadly stable.
Viado expressed hope that a de-escalation of the ongoing conflict would eventually translate into a recovery in Gulf-bound and Gulf-originating passenger volumes, which had fallen sharply since hostilities broke out.
The commissioner’s remarks came alongside data showing the BI processed 782,344 passengers across all international airports during the peak week — 391,243 arrivals and 391,101 departures between March 29 and April 5. The figures are comparable to the 371,731 arrivals and 361,361 departures logged during the same Holy Week period in 2025.
The agency attributed the relative stability to the nature of air travel bookings, noting that most flights had been reserved months before the conflict erupted on February 28, meaning the full impact on passenger volumes has yet to materialize.
Year-on-year, the BI’s first-quarter 2026 numbers outpaced the previous year — 4,218,683 arrivals and 4,521,001 departures, compared to 3,871,492 arrivals and 4,196,492 departures in the same period in 2025.
Despite the broader positive trend, Viado said the agency is watching Gulf routes closely, where the drop in traveler numbers stands in contrast to the otherwise steady overall figures.
