72 PAL flights cancelled
MANILA, Philippines—Seventy-two international and domestic flights of Philippine Airlines were cancelled Tuesday due to operational problems related to its outsourcing of certain functions and services.
According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the flights were called off because of lack of manpower.
PAL volunteers and service providers have taken over the posts vacated by members of the PAL Employees Association (Palea) who were laid off last month.
Twelve international flights bound to and from Hong Kong, Busan, Singapore, Vancouver, New Delhi and San Francisco were cancelled. No information has been provided yet on the rescheduling of the cancelled flights.
Sixty domestic flights to and from the cities of Davao, Zamboanga, Iloilo, Roxas, Tacloban, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Kalibo, Legazpi, General Santos, Bacolod, Tagbilaran, Cotabato, Butuan, Dumaguete, Puerto Princesa and Laoag were also cancelled due to the operational problems.
Meanwhile, 24 local PAL flights to and from the cities of Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Bacolod, Kalibo, Cotabato, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Tagbilaran and Iloilo were serviced at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 instead of Terminal 2 due to what the airline company called “operational requirements.”
The management of the national flag carrier earlier announced that 95 percent of international and 60 percent of domestic operations were back to normal.
Also on Tuesday, a total of 14 flights to Eastern Visayas and Mindanao were cancelled by PAL, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines due to bad weather in those areas because of Tropical Depression Ramon.
The flights canceled were those coming to and from Catarman, Surigao and Butuan, MIAA said.
