MANILA – A Philippine Airlines (PAL) executive on Friday said the recurring cancellations and delays of both domestic and international flights are due to aircraft maintenance amid the revenge travel phenomenon.
PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that an average of five to 10 domestic and international flights per day were canceled for the past two to three weeks. These figures do not include delayed flights.
On Thursday, the Media Affairs Division (MAD) of the Manila International Airport Authority only announced two CebGo flights between Manila and Busuanga were canceled due to inclement weather.
Asked about the real total canceled flights, the MAD said 29 PAL and CebGo flights were canceled, while another 29 flights were delayed on June 15.
The MAD, however, clarified that they are only announcing flights that are canceled due to weather conditions.
Villaluna, meanwhile, said an estimated 20 PAL flights are canceled from June 16 to 17.
"Affected passengers are rebooked on the next available flights, or are rerouted or refunded, or booked on other airlines," she said.
In a statement, PAL said the recent flight cancellations are "primarily due to the increase in the number of aircraft on preventive maintenance as a result of high utilization brought about by revenge travel or high travel demand".
Consequently, some aircraft require preventive maintenance earlier than scheduled, and unforeseen maintenance issues arise, impacting the flight rotations, the statement added.
PAL said it is optimizing the operations to minimize disruptions.
PAL's plans include making changes to the maintenance procedures to enhance efficiency and reduce aircraft servicing time. It is also reviewing its capacity to ensure necessary maintenance without compromising reliability.
The flag carrier said it has already implemented measures to reduce its published capacity for the upcoming months. (PNA)
PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that an average of five to 10 domestic and international flights per day were canceled for the past two to three weeks. These figures do not include delayed flights.
On Thursday, the Media Affairs Division (MAD) of the Manila International Airport Authority only announced two CebGo flights between Manila and Busuanga were canceled due to inclement weather.
Asked about the real total canceled flights, the MAD said 29 PAL and CebGo flights were canceled, while another 29 flights were delayed on June 15.
The MAD, however, clarified that they are only announcing flights that are canceled due to weather conditions.
Villaluna, meanwhile, said an estimated 20 PAL flights are canceled from June 16 to 17.
"Affected passengers are rebooked on the next available flights, or are rerouted or refunded, or booked on other airlines," she said.
In a statement, PAL said the recent flight cancellations are "primarily due to the increase in the number of aircraft on preventive maintenance as a result of high utilization brought about by revenge travel or high travel demand".
Consequently, some aircraft require preventive maintenance earlier than scheduled, and unforeseen maintenance issues arise, impacting the flight rotations, the statement added.
PAL said it is optimizing the operations to minimize disruptions.
PAL's plans include making changes to the maintenance procedures to enhance efficiency and reduce aircraft servicing time. It is also reviewing its capacity to ensure necessary maintenance without compromising reliability.
The flag carrier said it has already implemented measures to reduce its published capacity for the upcoming months. (PNA)
