Domestic flights are allowed in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) but require approval from the local government, according to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
In a press briefing on June 2, Tugade said Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. has written to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) saying that commercial flights between GCQ areas are allowed to operate provided they comply with two conditions: flights are not for leisure and approved by the local government.
CAB on May 30 ordered airlines to cancel their flights scheduled on June 1 as the IATF had yet to approve routes for domestic flights in the first week of June. IATF is the government’s inter-sectoral body mandated to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Tugade said “the moving predicate for this approval is the conformity of the local government in allowing departure and acceptance of the traveling public by air.”
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director general Jim G. Sydiongco, in a separate statement, said airlines may confirm with concerned airport authorities if airports are allowed to resume operations.
“We advise airlines and air operators to communicate with the airport authorities having jurisdiction over the airport concerned to ensure proper coordination with the intended destination,” Sydiongco said.
Regular commercial air travel has been suspended since travel restrictions were implemented as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The government has recently eased community quarantines nationwide and placed Metro Manila, Regions II, III, IV-A, VII, and Pangasinan, Zamboanga City, and Davao City under GCQ starting June 1 while other areas in the country are under modified GCQ (MGCQ).
GCQ is a less restricted form of community quarantine than modified enhanced community quarantine. MGCQ, meanwhile, is a more relaxed version of GCQ and is the transition phase prior to the “new normal.”
Local airlines AirAsia Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Cebgo, and Philippine Airlines have already announced resumption of a limited number of domestic flights for this month.
