Manila, March 11 -- Air passenger traffic at the Tacloban Airport rose by 7 percent in 2024, primarily driven by additional flights to the regional capital, an official said on Tuesday.

From 1,573,301 inbound and outbound passengers in 2023, the figure went up to 1,689,748 last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in its report.

"The opening of a new air route going to Tacloban from Davao and Iloilo in the later part of the year has contributed to that growth. The annual passenger traffic increase has been consistent since 2018," said CAAP Eastern Visayas area manager Danilo Abarreta in a phone interview.

On Oct. 29, 2024, Cebu Pacific launched its new routes: Iloilo-Tacloban-Iloilo, operating four times we...