The National Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Diseases (NTF-IATF) has approved the easing of entry restrictions to the Philippines on Thursday, as Covid19 transmission in Metro Manila continue to decline.
From passenger cap of 2,500 passengers per day, IATF has now increase the quarantine capacity to 6,000 passengers upon recommendation of the Technical Working Group (TWG) headed by DOTr.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will double its capacity from 1,200 passengers to 3,000, while Mactan Cebu will double entry capacity from 1,000 to 2,000 passengers per day. The 1,000 passenger increase is allocated to Clark, Subic, and Davao.
The government also approved international transit of passengers between terminal 1, terminal 2 and terminal 3 of NAIA, the new quarantine regulation discloses.
International transit was previously available only in Terminal 2 for green listed countries. Now it included yellow listed countries.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) are transiting international passengers from the United States to Southeast Asia.
Transit of international passengers between terminals are required to be done airside.
The IATF also approved the increase capacity of all public utility vehicles from fifty percent to seventy percent capacity effective Monday.
Entry to the Philippines by foreign passport holders is still restricted.
Increase in international passenger movement grow by 4,134%
29 October 2021
By Ruben Veloria
Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) is the Country's fastest growing international airport in the Philippines, defying the odds of slowdown and negative growth amidst Covid19 pandemic.
SBIA has grown from a mediocre international airport to a truly functional hub after the Philippine government approved its utilization as quarantine airport gateway, together with Clark, Cebu and Davao.
“The increase in international passenger movement by 4,134 percent was
attributed to the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and
retuning overseas Filipinos (ROFs),” said Ronnie Yambao, SBMA senior
deputy administrator for operations group.
THE frequent arrival of Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to bring home overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded abroad because of the Covid-19 pandemic has given the airport a new lease of life as a global gateway.
SBMA Port Operations Group reported that aircraft
movement at Subic airport increased to
17,756, or by as much as 25 percent in the third quarter of 2021,as compared to the 14,220 recorded in
the third quarter of last year.
Yambao said while most of the movement were
those of domestic aircraft, a total of 55 international flights that landed
in the months of July, August and September contributed substantial number of revenue for the airport.
These also resulted in
increased movement of international passengers, from just 137 in the
second quarter of 2021 to 5,800 in the third quarter.
POSITIVE AIRPORT REVENUE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE “In the third quarter of 2021 alone, the OFW flights had provided the Subic airport P1.6 million in direct income, as well as P218.7 million in income for Subic hotels,” says Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma
“We are continuing with the airport rehabilitation program that we started three years ago, and the successful OFW flights now are an indication that we have made substantial progress in upgrading SBIA facilities and equipment,” she said.
Among the completed upgrades were a new Doppler very high frequency omnidirectional range distance measuring equipment (DVOR/DME), an automated weather observation system (AWOS), an area navigation approach (RNAV), and new air-ground communication system for air traffic control.
Subic airport posted an actual revenue of P62.15 million, thus surpassing its revenue target of P49.52 million by 126 percent. The third quarter income was also 32 percent higher than that recorded in the same period last year.
The airport income was broken down into P40.48 million for leases, P21.62 million for airport fees, and P48,672 in royalty income.
Since July this year, when Subic became an alternate port for OFW repatriation, a total of 27 OFW flights had been flown to Subic by the Philippine Airlines, aside from nine that were diverted to Clark Airport during bad weather.
SBMA airport manager Zharrex Santos said the airport handled Bayanihan and repatriation flights every week.
Santos said the latest PAL flight that brought in OFWs landed here in
Subic on Tuesday, with 299 passengers from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab
Emirates.
According to Santos, the SBIA had handled a total of 9,159 international passengers consisting of 8,455 land-based and 421 sea-based OFWs, as well as 274 Filipino and nine foreign non-OFW passengers. (PNA)
Low Cost Carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) will launched direct flights between Manila and Camiguin starting November 15 as it expand its domestic footprint across the country.
The airline will also restart flights between Cebu and Camiguin starting Nov. 9, the company said in a statement.
CEB will begin operating twice weekly between Cebu and Camiguin on November 9 (every Tuesday and Saturday), and twice-a-week every Monday and Friday, beginning November 15, between Manila and Camiguin.
Both routes will be operated by CebGo ATR 72-600 aircraft.
Bohol, Roxas and Cebu City has join the list of domestic destinations that have simplified travel entry requirements and do not require RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) or antigen testing.
They joined the following cities that eases travel requirements for vaccinated passengers.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL) has narrowed its losses to $29.56 million in September, since its Chapter 11 filing on
Sept. 3, its Chief Finance Officer said.
PAL Chief Financial Officer Nilo Thaddeus P.
Rodriguez disclosed to the United
States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York that it
had a gross income of $91.75 million for the month.
Mr. Rodriguez said they expect substantial growth this quarter as the Philippines eases quarantine and travel restrictions.
PAL earlier increased its flight expansion for both short, medium and long haul beginning on Oct. 8, 2021 in time for the holiday peak season that begins late this month.
The airline said it generated revenue from Sept. 3 to 30 reached $90.42 million, resulting in a gross profit of $1.33 million, in a traditionally lean month.
However, its selling expenses, general and administrative expenses, and
other expenses were $3.83 million, $4.90 million, and $14.36 million,
respectively.
The revenue shortfall is mostly attributed to travel restrictions to the Philippines and to some major domestic destinations which still require stringent entry requirements.
The airline expects to exit its recovery phase by 2022, with operating
activities seen to generate more consistent positive monthly cash flow beginning December, according to Rodriguez.
The National Task Force for Emerging and Infectious Diseases (NTF-IATF) will pilot a test to allow vaccinated passenger from North America to do away with quarantine restrictions beginning November 8 as the United States lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors.
New entry restrictions will expand to other green and yellow listed countries beginning November 15.
Arriving passengers will no longer be required to book quarantine hotels but still be subject to RT-PCR testing after arrival into the country.
Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL) earlier proposed to pilot test a “no facility quarantine protocol” for vaccinated passengers from North America.
The policy will cover “North American vaccinated passengers arriving in the Philippines and Filipinos fully vaccinated in the Philippines who traveled to North America and are returning to the country,” PAL Senior Vice-President for Strategy Dexter C. Lee said.
The proposal was adopted by IATF Technical Working Group after the National Capital Region (NCR) recorded a 90% vaccination rate against covid19, which resulted to downward trend on infections.
The coronavirus reproduction number in the NCR has dropped to 0.46 from 0.59 last week, the OCTA Research Group reported Friday.
The coronavirus reproduction number also dropped to 0.46 from 0.59 last week, according to OCTA.
The propose policy however will still exclude non-Filipinos on non-essential travel as restrictions on entry of foreigners other than Filipino spouses and family members, residents, and diplomats remained in place .
The new travel restrictions will be announce next week.
The Transport Department (DOTr) has inaugurated the new 132.2-million pesos Camiguin Airport passenger terminal building Thursday.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said the passenger terminal has grown four fold from the time Duterte administration expanded the airport facility in 2018.
"Before it can only accommodate 60 passengers, with the new one, it's now 220, there will be an impact in tourism with that," he said.
Tugade and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General, Captain Jim Sydiongco, led the inauguration of the projects for Camiguin Airport.
The completed projects include the expansion of the passenger terminal building amounting to PHP29.2 million; construction of the administration building (PHP4.6-M); one bay fire station building (PHP3.2-M); construction of CAAP Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) Office PHP2.04-M); as well as the asphalt overlay of the runway (PHP93.04-M).
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flies at the airport before the covid19 pandemic hit the country.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF)'s fleet of newly-acquired Embraer A-29B "Super Tucano" aircraft officially transferred to its new home at the Major Danilo Atienza Air Base (MDAAB) in Sangley Point, Cavite City on Wednesday.
"The fleet of A-29B ST (Super Tucano) commanded by Maj. Jonathan C. Barawed, Squadron Commander, 16th Attack Squadron, took off from Clark Air Base and performed formation low pass before making their first landing at MDAAB. After landing, the aircraft were rendered the traditional water cannon salute and were blessed by Maj. Edison M. Lotilla, CHS (Chaplain Service). It was followed by the ceremonial champagne pouring to mark both the joy and sanctity of the occasion," the PAF's 15th Strike Wing said in a Facebook post on Wednesday night.
It added that 15th Strike Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Aristotle D. Gonzalez, and other ranking officials of the unit, welcomed the pilots and the five A-29B aircraft.
“This very significant event culminates years of hard work and a realization of a dream for the 15th Strike Wing to acquire a modern and more capable fixed-wing platform that will continue to enable the AFP to deliver the much-needed firepower against all forms of enemies who intend to distort peace in our country," Gonzalez said.
Four of the A-29B close-support attack aircraft arrived in the country on Sept. 19, 2020, while the remaining two arrived on October 1 of the same year.
One of the aircraft is still undergoing repairs following a mishap in July this year.
Embraer pilots flew the aircraft from the company airfield in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and made fueling stops in the Canary Islands, Portugal, Malta, Egypt, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand, and Vietnam before landing in the Philippines.
The A-29B aircraft were earlier scheduled to be delivered by the end of July last year but the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent travel bans skewed the delivery timetables.
The "Super Tucano" is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter-insurgency, close air support, aerial reconnaissance missions in low threat environments, as well as providing pilot training.
The contract for the aircraft is worth PHP4.97 billion and was issued in late 2017.(PNA)
