Philippine Airlines is gradually reverting to normal operations at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as atmospheric conditions improve in the vicinity of Metro Manila, following the safety-related airport closure caused by volcanic ash emissions from last Sunday’s Taal Volcano eruption.
We are in the process of operating replacement flights on certain routes to assist passengers affected by recent cancellations, and in a few cases we are upgrading certain flights to larger-capacity widebody aircraft to deal with the overflow of affected passengers. Nearly all of our scheduled flights are operating regularly, although some with timing adjustments. It will take time to work through schedule recovery efforts as we redistribute the fleet, undertake rigorous additional inspections and maintenance checks of our Manila-based and Clark-based aircraft to ensure safety, and adjust to airport slotting constraints and airspace restrictions.
As a result, we are compelled to declare the cancellation of the following flights today, 14 January 2020:
PR 1827/1828 Manila – Davao – Manila
PR 736/737 Manila – Bangkok – Manila
PR 438 Manila – Nagoya
PR 2205/2206 Clark – Antique – Clark
PR 2687/2686 Clark – Busuanga – Clark
PR 2921/2922 Manila – Legazpi – Manila
PR 2813/2814 Manila – Davao – Manila
PR 2859/2860 Manila – Cebu – Manila
To accommodate affected passengers of the above cancellations, we are arranging for a replacement Manila-Davao-Manila flight to operate this afternoon, for the upgrading of our PR 732/733 Manila-Bangkok-Manila service tonight from Airbus A321 to a larger A330 aircraft, and for a replacement Manila-Nagoya flight to operate early tomorrow morning.
For flight rebooking or refunding, affected passengers may call PAL Hotline (02) 8855 8888. If you purchased your ticket through a travel agent, please contact your agent immediately.
We will continue to work in collaboration with the airport and aviation authorities, as well as our partner service providers, to closely monitor the ongoing Taal Volcano situation so that the aviation industry can respond appropriately to any further developments.
We thank our passengers for their kind understanding and cooperation in the midst of these disruptions and adjustments, and we sincerely apologize for the resulting inconvenience. Rest assured that your safety is always our highest concern.
We also offer our prayers and heartfelt concern to all the families who suffered losses and hardship in the wake of the Taal eruption.
