Airlines told to scale down Manila international flights

THE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has directed airlines operating at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to limit the number of passengers arriving in Manila to a maximum of 1,500 per day.

The CAB advisory stated that the scaling down of Manila international flights will start on March 18 (at 8 a.m. Philippine time) until April 19, 2021.

Due to the passengers limitation, Philippine Aiines (PAL) spokesman Cielo Villaluna said that to comply with the restriction, airlines will need to cancel a number of international flights to and from Manila during the stated March 18 to April 19 period.

“Philippine Airlines will operate our full international schedule for March 18 but we will be announcing in due course any flight cancellations on other days for the rest of the period,” PAL said in a statement.

The CAB, with no reason given but maybe due to new Covid variant, also further advised the airlines to comply with the directives of the Bureau of Immigration on the kind of essential inbound travelers that will be allowed entry into the Philippines.

The CAB directives covered the local and foreign airlines that have international flights to and from Manila.

“Please note that certain passenger types will thus need to postpone their Manila-bound travel until after the stated period,” PAL said, adding, “please stay posted for further updates, as we await the final announcements and information from the BI and the concerned authorities.”

“We seek your understanding as we prepare to make adjustments in our operations to comply with these latest government measures, as we support the national effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” PAL said.

The CAB warned the airlines operating at NAIA “that will exceed the allowed capacity will be meted with the appropriate penalty pursuant to Joint Memorandum Circular 2021-01 dated 08 January 2021 issued by the Manila International Airport Authority, Clark International Airport, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the CAB.”