Philippine Airlines has revealed that in the first quarter of 2011, it enjoyed a seven per cent year-on-year increase in the number of international passengers using its services.

More than one million people from abroad opted to take flights to Manila and other destinations in the Asian nation.

The firm revealed that this figure was the highest among local carriers in the country, citing a heightened demand across international routes as the reason for this.

According to the carrier, its most popular routes were to Singapore, Bangkok, South Korea, the US and Hong Kong.

Data from the Civil Aeronautics Board revealed that inbound international passenger numbers were 477,039 in the first three months of the year.

Last month, the World Airline Ranking compiled by Airline Business magazine found that Philippine Airlines was the 61st largest carrier in the world.

President of the firm Jaime Bautista commented: "We carry between 40-50 per cent of all foreign visitors arriving in the country every year."

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