Air Travel Opens June 1

PAL, CEB Announces International, Domestic routes resumption

30 May 2020

Air travel in the country is scheduled to resume regular commercial operations following the Philippine government decision to upgrade Manila and Cebu to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status beginning June 1.

Secretary Arthur Tugade disclosed Friday that airport facilities across the country is prepared to accept travelers under the new normal scheme adopted by the government.

Tugade said MIAA (Manila International Airport Authority) will determine terminal usage depending on the number of flights that will be mounted. However, only flights duly approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will be considered for slotting.

According to DOTr International operations shall continue subject to the 400 passengers a day cap imposed by the IATF for inbound flights.

DOTr said that out of twenty six (26) airlines operating in Terminal 1, twenty one (21) already submitted their flight plans. Most of these though will not be happening in the immediate future due to travel restrictions abroad.

Terminal 1 shall remain to service international commercial flights while Terminal 2 caters to all repatriation and sweeper flights and commercial domestic flights of Philippine Airlines. Terminal 3 will be used by Cebu Pacific and Air Asia for domestic flights while Terminal 4 shall remain closed.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) said they will reopen with 5-10 percent of its international network and 20-30 percent of local flights by June.

“We will slowly ramp up as demand picks up,” PAL President Gilbert Santa Maria said, noting that destinations will include transpacific flights to Los Angeles beginning June 1 and Singapore on June 3.

In the latest advisory, PAL said it will resume flights to the USA, Canada, Guam, Vietnam, mainland China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Japan, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. London and Sydney are being evaluated for resumption by the last week of June 2020.

It will not be operating any regular scheduled flights for the month of June to Auckland, Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Busan, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Macau, Melbourne, Phnom Penh, Perth, Port Moresby, Quanzhou (Jinjiang), Sapporo, Seoul (Incheon) and Shanghai.

Meanwhile, PAL will resume its domestic operations from Manila to Basco, Laoag, Legaspi, Puerto Princesa, Busuanga, Kalibo, Caticlan, Bacolod, Tacloban, Roxas, Tagbilaran, Cebu, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Butuan, Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Dipolog, and Zamboanga beginning June 8.

For Cebu hub, PAL will resume flights between Cebu and Davao.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) on the other hand will resume operations on June 2, 2020, with a limited number of domestic flights out of NAIA Terminal 3 on the following routes as approved by CAAP upon recommendations of IATF:

June 2-4 Manila-General Santos-Manila
June 3-4 Manila-Naga-Manila, Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila, Manila-Cebu-Manila

CEB international flights remain suspended from June 1 to 30, 2020.

Air Asia Philippines are likewise preparing flight resumptions on June 3 upon approval by DOTr and CAAP. Routes flown will be Manila to Cebu, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, and Davao. The airline will also fly Clark to Davao, Tacloban, and Cagayan de Oro. Other routes remain suspended.

Gov't Defers Fees For PH Carriers

23 May 2020

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) will implement a one-year moratorium on take-off, landing, and parking fees of local airlines to cushion the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the aviation industry and its stakeholders, according to its Transport Secretary.

“We are continuously coordinating with airline companies so that we can come up with programs to configure even the aircraft in our airports,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

March data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) showed that deferred charges for local carriers total about P58 million a month.

Local airlines operating under CAAP will save about P37 million a month in terms of deferred take-off, landing, and parking fees. The airlines can pay the deferred charges within a year after the strict quarantine orders are lifted.

Secretary Tugade also said that the airport authorities has likewise extended the implementation of rental holidays and the deferment of the collection of rental fees for airport concessionaires, which means that airport rental fees falling within the quarantine period will be deferred. Airport concessionaires can begin paying their rental dues once the quarantine orders are lifted.

The order covers all concessionaires that are renting/leasing spaces in the terminals of airports under the jurisdiction of CAAP, Manila International Airport Authority, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, and Clark International Airport Corporation.

According to Secretary Tugade, the sector is gearing up to ensure readiness in event of a “worst-case scenarios,” like the possible long-term stoppage of airline operations and closure of airports.

“We need to be prepared for any possible scenario and to employ all possible countermeasures including what may appear to be drastic and extreme ones,” Secretary Tugade adds.

PAL Post US$56 Million in 2019

PAL Holdings Infuses $30 Million more To Keep airline afloat

22 May 2020

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has posted an operating profit of US$56.6 million (₱2.87 billion) last year, reversing 2018’s US$120 million (₱5.98 billion) operating loss, according to PSE disclosures of the company.

PAL total revenue grew 2.7% to more than ₱154 billion, driven by a 4.2% increase in the passenger segment revenue to ₱134 billion. Ancillary revenue fell 5% to ₱10.7 billion, while cargo fell 8.2% to ₱9.38 billion.

Expenses declined 3% to nearly ₱152 billion, due to introduction of new aircraft to fleet.

Net loss widened from Ps4.33 billion in 2018 to Ps10.3 billion, partly due to the adoption of a new accounting standard.

Cash and cash equivalents stood at ₱15.1 billion as at 31 December 2019, up from the 6.98 billion on 31 December 2018.

PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria also disclosed that PAL Holdings will infuse an additional ₱15.2 billion into Philippine Airlines, making it safe from imminent bankruptcy as the airline bleeds losses nearing $1 billion (₱50.6 billion) resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic which has grounded air travel.

Santa Maria said one-third of the capital infusion, or about ₱5 billion, was released this month to keep the airline afloat on the second quarter.

The cash infusion into PAL makes the airline safe from immediate bankruptcy due to liquidity problems, according to PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria.

PAL ended 2019 with 97 aircraft, unchanged from the previous year.

PAL Flies Longest Route Ever

22 May 2020


Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) flew its longest non-stop flight ever, flying Miami to Manila on a special charter flight to pick up 347 stranded overseas Filipino Workers.

The Boeing 777-300ER (RP-C7772)took the milestone flight flying as PR5112 clocking 16 hours and nine minutes longer than its longest commercial flight to New York, traversing 9,316 miles.

PR5112, left Manila just after midnight (12:14 A.M.) and landed at around 4 P.M. Miami time.

PR5112 was headed by Capt. Rommel Quizon, First Officer Joseph Marvin Jumaquio, Second Officer Jose Miguel Cajucom, and Second Officer Elijah Len Alcantara.

The New Normal

2 May 2020

When travel by style is simply normal beginning May 16.