Cebu airport cancels 26 flights, hosts 4 diverted intl flights due to Taal

CEBU CITY –– Operations at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) have been affected by the shutdown of the Manila airport due to the eruption of the Taal Volcano.

Twenty-five domestic flights to and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and an international flight bound for Dubai were canceled at the MCIA.

Four incoming international flights for NAIA were also diverted to the Cebu airport, including Air New Guinea’s Port Moresby-Manila flight as well as two Philippine Airlines San Francisco-Manila flights. The other PAL flight, Los Angeles-Manila, was also diverted to the MCIA.

GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) spokesperson Avigael Ratcliff said the airport here could accommodate 15 “contingency parking spaces” for diverted flights, although they may not be able to use all of the slots for emergency purposes.

“The diverted flights were accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis provided there are aircraft parking facilities available,” Ratcliff said.

Emergency flights in instances such as fuel shortage and medical emergencies were also prioritized.

Passengers of the four diverted international flights have been booked at hotels in Cebu awaiting the resumption of operations at the NAIA.

GMCAC has distributed bottled water and small food items on a need-basis to the passengers while airport concessionaires stocked up on their supplies and inventory in Terminal 1 and 2 for all passengers.

Some of the retail stores also offered discounts to stranded passengers from Sunday until 12 midnight on January 14.

Ratcliff said that bus services were provided to the airlines for inter-airport transfers as well as city hotel transfers for their stranded passengers.

Edited by Lzb