✈️ Manila RPLL business jet movements slashed by 48%, Q2 peak-season climb pattern disappears
Avi-Go data shows that from January 1 to July 9, 2026, business jet movements at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (RPLL) totaled 1,177, a sharp decline of approximately 48% from 2,264 in the same period of 2025. In terms of monthly distribution, after peaking at 209 movements in March, figures fell for three consecutive months, dropping to 153 in June; year-on-year comparisons declined across the board, with the deepest drop of -58% in April (from 458 to 194 movements). Compared to the seasonal upward pattern in 2025, when RPLL climbed month by month from January to a peak of 458 movements in April, 2026 not only saw volume nearly halved, but the Q2 peak-season climb signal disappeared entirely, reflecting a clear contraction in business jet activity at this hub. It should be noted that named operators covered only about 14% (163 movements), led by Asian Air Safari with 57 movements, Prime Jet with 41, and Vista Jet with 40.
Impact: The substantial decline in business jet throughput at RPLL as a primary hub may be related to traffic diversion to surrounding airports or operational structure adjustments, directly affecting peak-season revenue expectations for local FBO ground services and maintenance supply; the failure of seasonal patterns also weakens the predictability of capacity and staffing schedules.
Recommendation: Local FBOs and ground service providers should review Q3 staffing and equipment schedules before the end of July 2026, recalibrating costs based on the new lower volume levels; operators can track movement data at surrounding alternative airports before August, and only decide on resource allocation to the Manila base after confirming the direction of diversion.