- Cebu Pacific is cancelling flights between Manila and Japan’s Tokyo and Nagoya from March 18 to April 18
- The decision complies with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) directive to limit international inbound passengers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to a maximum of 1,500 per day for the period
- The cancelled flights are for the Manila – Narita (Tokyo) – Manila and Manila – Nagoya – Manila service
- Affected passengers will be informed and may select their preferred option, which may be to rebook, use the travel fund, or refund
- Philippine Airlines flights on March 19 from Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will be re-routed to Mactan-Cebu International Airport instead of landing at NAIA to avoid the full cancellation of flights
Cebu Pacific is cancelling flights between Manila and Japan’s Tokyo and Nagoya from March 18 to April 18 in compliance with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) directive to limit international inbound passengers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to a maximum number of 1,500 per day for the period.
The cancelled flights are for the Manila – Narita (Tokyo) – Manila and Manila – Nagoya – Manila service, Cebu Pacific said in an advisory.
Affected passengers will be informed and may select their preferred option to rebook, use the travel fund, or refund.
Domestic flights, meanwhile, will continue to operate as scheduled, subject to travel requirements and safety protocols.
READ: NAIA to limit international arrivals for a month starting Mar18
CAB issued the order in a March 15 advisory, along with an advice to airlines to comply with the directives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on the kind of essential inbound travelers to be allowed entry into the country.
Airlines operating in NAIA that will exceed the allowed capacity “will be meted with the appropriate penalty” pursuant to Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2021-01, CAB said.
READ: Heavy sanctions await air operators violating COVID-19 protocols
JMC 2021-01 issued last January provides the guidelines on the imposition of sanctions for air transport operators that will violate COVID-19-related directives and protocols. It was signed on January 8, 2021 by CAB, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Manila International Airport Authority, and Clark International Airport Corp.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) had earlier announced it will have to cancel a number of international flights to and from Manila during the covered period.
PAL said it will operate its full international schedule for March 18 but will be announcing in due course any flight cancellations on other days for the rest of the period.
The flag carrier said airlines will likewise comply with any directives from BI and concerned authorities on the type of travelers that will be allowed to enter the Philippines.
In an advisory on March 17, PAL said flights from Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on March 19 will be re-routed to Mactan-Cebu International Airport instead of landing at NAIA to avoid the full cancellation of flights. Passengers will be required to follow quarantine protocols once they land in Cebu.
Other agencies attached to the Department of Transportation have recently issued advisories to strictly implement health and safety protocols in ports and airports amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country and the discovery of new variants of the virus.
As of March 17, the Department of Health has recorded 635,698 COVID-19 cases in the country.
