Manila, Dec. 25 -- International passenger traffic during the Christmas travel period has exceeded initial projections, with more than 61,000 arrivals recorded across all international ports on Dec. 23.

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, immigration officers processed 49,176 international arrivals and 61,784 departures on the date, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said in a statement on Christmas Eve.

Nationwide, total international passenger traffic reached 61,658 arrivals and 66,655 departures.

The steady increase in passenger volume reflects heightened holiday travel, the BI said, noting that immigration operations remain orderly and manageable with 132 additional immigration officers nationwide, augmented by the activation of...