Domestic air travel plummets in 1st half

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Air passenger traffic in the domestic market in the first half of the year was down 61 percent compared to last year due to travel restrictions in the second quarter, the summer peak season.

Data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed there were 5.99 million domestic air passengers from January to June, way below last year’s 15.2 million passengers for the same period.

Passengers in the first quarter this year stood at 5.9 million and only 118,727 in the second quarter as operations of local airlines were suspended for over two months, starting March 19 and resumed last June.

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Airlines resumed operations with limited capacity to comply with the safety protocols and travel restrictions to help combat the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Cebu Pacific and unit Cebgo remained the leading domestic airline with 3.08 million passengers carried in January to June, but this is down from 7.6 million passengers served a year ago.

Philippine Airlines and its unit PAL Express flew 1.6 million passengers during the period, lower than last year’s 4.6 million passengers.

Low-cost carrier Philippine AirAsia Inc. had 1.22 million passengers in the first semester, less than half last year’s 2.6 million passengers.

Other carriers that served domestic passengers during the period were Air Juan Aviation Inc. which flew 108 passengers; AirSwift Transport Inc., 77,477; Astro Air International Inc., 80; Island Aviation Corp., 1,673; Magnum Air (Skyjet) Inc., 41,372; and Royal Air Charter Service Inc., 751 passengers.

Carmelo Arcilla, CAB executive director, earlier said the Philippine aviation outlook remains bleak due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this year, passenger volume is expected to be significantly lower than last year following the commercial flights’ suspension in March and August.

Arcilla said local airlines have resumed domestic operations but these are limited to essential travel as leisure flights are still suspended.

There were only 800 flights out of Manila from June 1 to August 31, compared with 47,224 flights last year for the same period.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced Bicol International Airport is set to be completed within the year.

DOTr said the airport is now 68 percent complete. Package 2A, covering the construction of landside facilities and other buildings, is 83 percent complete.

Package 2B, covering the construction of the passenger terminal building and runway extension, as well as the construction of the taxiway, drainage and other site development works, is 38 percent complete.

The airport is expected to welcome two million passengers every year, which will beef up air traffic and tourist arrivals in the region.

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