Local airlines gradually resume operations

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LOCAL airline operators are expecting passenger traffic to gradually increase with the resumption of their operations this month.

This follows an order by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB)to allow domestic and international flights to begin operation this week in airports located in areas under general community quarantine where the provincial and/or local government units (LGUs) support the resumption of domestic commercial operations.

Cebu Pacific yesterday resumed domestic flights initially in three routes from Manila going to General Santos, Naga and Cagayan de Oro. The airline will gradually add flights.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to resume domestic starting on Friday, June 5 but it has started to mount international flights on June 1.

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Initially, PAL will fly from Manila to Cebu on June 5. It will start mounting flights from Manila going to Dumaguete, Tacloban, Laoag, Iloilo, Butuan, Cotabato, Dipolog, Ozamiz and Zambonga by June 8.

For international flights, PAL announced the schedule of flights on international routes from June 1 to June 30. Initially, PAL is set to resume flights to the US, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Honolulu, and Guam.

PAL said its domestic operations will be at just 20 percent from the usual number of domestic flights per day. International operations will be much less; 10 percent for starters.

Cielo Villaluna, PAL spokesperson, said during the first month of operation, PAL expects its international flights to be filled with foreign tourists who have been stranded in the country; overseas Filipino workers with contracts abroad and; returning Filipino students.

Villaluna said for domestic flights, PAL expects its flights to be filled with locally-stranded individuals. These are persons who have been in Metro Manila or those still in the Visayas and Mindanao who have been wanting or desiring to go back to their home base or home-provinces.

“We expect flights to increase as more restrictions in various LGUs and international cities are lifted,” Villaluna said.

AirAsia Philippines is set to gradually resume services in the Philippines on June 5, initially for key domestic routes and will gradually increase to include international destinations by July 1.

Air Asia is seeing a gradual pick-up in domestic bookings throughout the month of June and its optimistic that this will be sustained.

“Still, we understand that our operations are heavily dependent on the public health situation and any changes in travel restrictions. As such, AirAsia is ready to adapt to new developments as the month progresses. This is in support of government efforts to effectively manage public health.” Air Asia said.

Initially, CAB said airlines operations will resume for non-leisure travel in key markets and in limited capacity, but the market is expected to expand in time as the government continues to ease up travel restrictions and as consumer confidence grows.

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