MANILA – Air travelers may expect more flight cancellations after President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday placed the entire Luzon under ‘enhanced community quarantine’ in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.
Suspending transportation was among the measures given under the enhanced community quarantine but no specific guidelines have been provided yet with regards to air travel as of posting.
Domestic flights to and from Manila were suspended following the implementation of the month-long community quarantine in Metro Manila on March 15.
Data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines' (CAAP) Air Traffic Service Response team bared that Busuanga and Siargao plan the suspension of flights beginning March 18 because of community quarantine.
Surigao eyes suspending commercial and general aviation flights from March 18-31.
Puerto Princesa City, which currently implements community quarantine, prohibits travel from March 15 to April 14.
As of Sunday night, the status of other CAAP-operated airports are as follows:
No commercial flights are allowed in Zamboanga, Ozamis, Cotabato, Naga, and Bohol. Domestic flights were canceled in Legazpi, while all flights (except general aviation and military aircraft) were canceled in Roxas City.
Laguindingan, Dumaguete, Pagadian and Dipolog barred flights to/from Cebu while Davao has canceled flights from Clark.
In Clark, flights to/from Qatar would be reduced from March 14-30, based on CAAP's data while Jeju Air also reduced operations from March 9-29.
In Tacloban, Philippine Airlines' last flight to Cebu was set on March 16. All flights to Cebu from Tacloban will be canceled on Tuesday (March 17).
Flights to/from Puerto Princesa were canceled in Iloilo and Cebu Pacific's flights to Cebu, Clark, Davao, and Hong Kong, via Iloilo, were canceled.
Flights from Clark, Legazpi, Dumaguete and Cagayan de Oro are banned in Cebu effective March 16. Ban on all domestic flights will begin on March 17.
Local carriers have earlier announced domestic flight cancellations via Manila from March 15 to April 14.
Their latest advisories were made on Sunday. The announcements indicate flight cancellations on the following routes: Clark-Cebu, Dumaguete-Cebu. Cebu-Kalibo, Cebu - Puerto Princesa, Davao - Tagbilaran, Cebu -Cagayan de Oro, Cebu - Zamboanga, TawiTawi - Zamboanga, and Legazpi - Cebu. (PNA)
