Airlines cancel some Manila-Davao-Manila flights for January 2

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 02 January) – Three major airlines cancelled several domestic flights from Manila to Davao City and vice versa on Monday following the power outage on Sunday that disrupted the air navigational system at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s premiere gateway.

In an advisory, the country’s flag carrier Philippines Airlines (PAL) announced that it has cancelled four Manila-Davao-Manila flights and one Davao-Manila flight even after the air traffic management system at NAIA has been resolved.

In an advisory on January 1, the NAIA announced that its Air Traffic Management Center had “resumed normal operations Sunday afternoon” following a power outage that affected flights to and from Manila.

“It will take some time to fully restore normal schedules as we reposition aircraft that had been held back or diverted to other airports and adjust flight timings based on revised clearances in coordination with the local authorities,” PAL said.

Another PAL flight from Manila to Dipolog was cancelled on Monday.

PAL said it is operating a number of replacement flights to help carry affected passengers, including flights from Davao, Cebu, Iloilo, Kalibo, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod to Manila, and from Butuan to Siargao.

Meanwhile, two Manila-Davao-Manila flights of Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) were also cancelled on Monday.

“CEB is still working on the recovery of its network and normalizing its operations,” it said.

The airline discouraged passengers from going to the airport, advising them to monitor their flight status online.

It added that affected passengers “have been informed and provided with the options” through the Manage Booking portal on the Cebu Pacific website.

Meanwhile, AirAsia announced four flights between Manila and Davao scheduled for January 2 have been rescheduled to January 3.

“AirAsia is closely working with airport authorities to ensure convenience among our guests in all of our airport operations pending complete resolution of the technical concerns,” it said.

The three airlines have offered passengers affected by cancelled flights to refund or rebook for free their flight schedules. (Antonio Colina IV / MindaNews)