PAL Bumps Plenty of Pax Due Plane Downgrade To TWT

12 December 2022

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has bumped off number of passengers after it began downgrading service between Cotabato-Sanga Sanga flight in Tawi-Tawi from jet to turboprop plane, it was learned. 

PAL has downgraded PR2487/88 from 180 seater Airbus A320 to 76 seater Bombardier DHC-8-400 (Q-400) beginning December 1.

“I queued ahead of many of them but they were the ones who were processed first for boarding,” said Nurosalam Caladtiag, one of the passengers who were denied boarding last Thursday.

The airline operates twice a week service from Cotabato to Tawi-Tawi and vice versa every Monday and Thursday.

“It was unfair for solo travelers who lined up first only to be left behind,” he added.

Another passenger remarked that  PAL knew the airline to be overbooked after it began calling for volunteers not to fly that day.

“They knew they overbooked because they spoke through the PA system four or five times saying that the flight is overbooked and that they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats,” Dr. Jose Jowel Canuday,  Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the Ateneo de Manila University said. 

A ground personnel of the airline who wants her name withheld disclosed that this was not the first time that passengers were denied boarding since PAL downgraded flight services to Cotabato, as it declined twelve others in the first day and twenty others last Monday, and nine Thursday. 

Affected passengers were rerouted to Zamboanga, or were given priority boarding on the next available flights the next week.

PAL personnel at Sanga Sanga Airport laments that even that arrangement is questionable as succeeding flights are also overbooked, as none of all the passengers contacted after the service downgrade, manifested intent to reschedule their flights.

“We are contacting all of them, none has rescheduled their flight or accepted flight diversion to Zamboanga. They are not also accepting refund as they want to travel on that date.” she adds.

PAL said it intends to add a third flight next year between Cebu and Cotabato and Tawi-Tawi, to address the growing traffic between the BARMM region. 

 

PAL Downgrades Flight Services Between Cotabato And Tawi-Tawi

Adds Cotabato-Cebu Beginning December 1 

8 November 2022

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is downgrading flight services between Cotabato's Awang Airport and Tawi-Tawi's Sanga Airport from 180 seater Airbus A320 to 86 seater DHC-Q400 aircraft beginning December 1 according to PAL Vice President for Sales Bud Britanico.

The airline will also starts direct flights between Cebu and Cotabato City all the way to Tawi-Tawi from the same date on the same twice weekly schedule every Monday and Thursday.

Cotabato to Tawi-Tawi and vice versa is currently flown with twice a week Airbus A320 service using aircraft from Manila operated by low cost subsidiary Air Philippines Corporation.

Britanico said they have rationalized the route by introducing Cebu-Cotabato-Bongao and vice versa link to increase passenger traffic between these destinations within the BARMM Region with flight connections to Cebu City.

The service is the latest addition to the flag carrier’s expanding network of inter-island hopping which ended in 1997.

PAL previously connected Cebu-Dipolog-Zamboanga-Jolo/Bongao, and Cebu-Pagadian-Zamboanga-Jolo/Bongao routes in the past.

“We hope to contribute positively to the economic development of Cotabato City and the Bangsamoro region by launching this new link to Cotabato City,” says Britanico.

“Philippine Airlines is offering more flights out of Cebu soon to serve travelers living in the Central Visayas and Southern Mindanao regions,” he added.

It recently added Cebu-Baguio route and vice versa to its growing Cebu hub effective December 16.

PR 2223 Cebu-Cotabato flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 05:20 AM, arriving in Cotabato’s Awang Airport at 06:35 AM. It will then proceed to Sanga-Sanga Airport at 07:05 AM arriving at 08:30 AM. Passengers can depart from Tawi-Tawi at 09:00 AM with brief stop in Cotabato after arriving at 10:30 AM.

PR 2224 Cotabato-Cebu flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 11:00 AM, arriving in Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 12:15 PM.

Passengers can thereafter conveniently connect Boracay, Coron, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Siargao and Baguio (from Dec. 16) by connecting through PAL’s Cebu hub, rather than connecting via Manila.

PAL also flies Zamboanga to Bongao thrice a week.

  

 

PAL Cotabato-Tawi Tawi Inaugural Flight

 9 June 2022

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has commenced flight PR2487 which flew from Cotabato City to Tawi-Tawi with 178 passengers, linking for the first time the Bangsamoro capital with the remotest island province, with A320 aircraft every Tuesday and Thursday.

The pioneer route was supposed to open last November 2021 but due to covid19 travel restrictions, the launch was postponed twice.

This will be the airlines first missionary route opened in Mindanao since 1987, cutting travel time to the island province to 45 minutes from one day travel time.

This missionary route is supported by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, in partnership with Mindanao Development Authority Minda).

PAL also connects Tawi-Tawi to Zamboanga City.
 

PAL Opens Cotabato To Tawi-Tawi Route

Flight Starts June 9

 26 May 2022

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines(PAL) will open a new hub in Cotabato with a new flight connecting ARMM Regional Center in Cotabato to Tawi-Tawi, and vice versa beginning June 9.

The route will be flown by Q400 aircraft every Monday and Thursday with PR 2487 departing at 7:30 a.m., and with return flight PR 2488 from Tawi-Tawi to Cotabato departing at 9:40 a.m.

PAL said it will initially deploy Airbus A320 aircraft on the pioneer route, offering a choice of Business Class and Economy seating on the nonstop flights across the Sulu Sea.

“We are honored to make history by operating the first flight within the new Bangsamoro region, giving us a new opportunity to serve its 4.9 million people,” said PAL’s president and chief operating officer Captain Stanley Ng.

“We look forward to contributing, in our own way, to the development of tourism and commerce in Bangsamoro through regular flights that help promote unity and economic activity in this dynamic region as well for the rest of Mindanao,” said Ng.

The airline also flies Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi and vice versa, with PR 2485 departing Zamboanga every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:45 am., and return flight PR 2486 departing Bonggao at 10:30 a.m.

Tawi-Tawi Airport Turns Into Jungle After Months of Inactivity

Cleared for Resumption of Flight

20 June 2020


Tawi- Tawi Airport Runway- A JUNGLE NO MORE ❣️☺️👮

Tawi-Tawi Airport was cleared by personnel of Tawi- Tawi Provincial Police Office (PPO) in partnership with Department of Transportation- Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (DOT- CAAP) Friday.


PNP Provincial Director Pcol. Bonard Briton said the clearing activity was to prepare the airport for the resumption of scheduled flights.

"Clearing operations were made to reduce risks in conducting aircraft landing and take offs specifically where the PAPI Lights (Precision Approach Path Indicator) were located - a navigational aid to guide the aircraft for safe landing," says the PNP Provincial Director.

Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 and Philippine Airlines DHC-400NG fly this route prior to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Participating in the cleanup drive were PNP- Special Action Force, PNP Maritime Group 1st SOU, PNP- RMFB 14, and personnel from Tawi- Tawi Provincial Mobile Force Company, Bongao Mps and Panglima Sugala MPS.

Tawi-Tawi Airport Has Come of Age

5 January 2017

Gets ₱130 million for runway upgrade

Sanga Sanga Airport in Tawi Tawi secured another boost in airport infrastructure spending from the Transport Department (DOTr) after bidding out ₱130.756 million for runway widening and extension (7.5m x 1920m widening, +300m ext), part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s build, build, build infrastructure development program.

The runway improvement project is necessary to qualify the facility to international standards (2.1k x 45m) and upgrade its aerodrome type rating as it is the only class 2 airport in the Philippines with regular Airbus A320 operations.

The airport’s runway was earlier extended with the help of  United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Growth for Equity (GEM) Program which invested ₱33 million for runway extension and airport development. Extension works began in 2005 from 1,608 to 1,920 meters in 2009, and widened it from 18 to 30 meters.

10k liters Sides VMA105 ARFF Equipment Upgrade (Cat 6)

The extension project was supported by DOTr and CAAP which contributed ₱43 million for runway shoulder grade correction, ₱9 million for terminal renovation and expansion, and another ₱5 million for perimeter fencing. Another ₱10 million was contributed by the local government units of Bongao and Tawi Tawi for lot acquisitions and fencing. The 2005 airport expansion cost ₱100 million in total.

The project was supposed to be followed by a ₱63.9 million new passenger terminal building and apron construction scheduled to start in 2012 but lot acquisition problems has delayed its project implementation.

The ₱100 million Sanga Sanga Airport improvement completed in 2009 was part of the mothballed 1997 Third  Airports Development  Project of the Asian Development Bank with a price tag of $93 million covering Puerto  Princesa, Butuan, Dipolog, Cotabato, and Pagadian, which were not implemented because of lot acquisition problems and delays.

Cebu Pacific started jet operation at the Sanga-Sanga airport in October 2011 utilizing Airbus 319.   It has since upgraded the service to A320-200 with up to 3x daily services to Zamboanga during peak times.

The airport broke the 120,000 passenger traffic mark in 2016.

Sanga Sanga Airport Masterplan. Source: DOTr