Local carriers have halted their operations connecting General Santos to several cities in the other parts of the country.
Through their respective advisories, Philippine Airlines (PAL), its regional subsidiary PAL Express, and Cebu Pacific (CEB) have announced the cancelation of their flights to and from General Santos City after the powerful Magnitude 7.8 quake that rocked the city and several parts of Mindanao on Monday, June 8.
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES, PAL EXPRESS
In its first announcement at 1:00 pm, Philippine Airlines disclosed the first set of canceled flights for the day.
These were: PR 453/454 (Manila-General Santos-Manila), PR 2455/2456 (Manila-General Santos-Manila), PR 2357/2358 (Cebu-General Santos-Cebu).
In its supplementary bulletin at 7:00 pm, meanwhile, the flag carrier said the following flights are cancelled from Tuesday, June 9 until Thursday, June 11.
These are: PR 453/454 (Manila-General Santos-Manila), PR 2455/2456 (Manila-General Santos-Manila), PR 2357/2358 (Cebu-General Santos-Cebu), and PR 2339/2340 (Cebu-General Santos-Cebu).
“The safety and security of our passengers, crew, and ground personnel remain our highest priority. The flight cancellations were implemented to allow for the necessary safety assessments and coordination with airport authorities following the seismic event,” said PAL in its statement.
Meanwhile, affected passengers have been told to avail of options such as rebooking their flights, rerouting the flights via Davao (free rebooking or rerouting within 60 days, subject to availability), converting the value of their tickets into travel credits, or request a full refund without penalties, subject to applicable policies.
Passengers with urgent travel requirements may opt to reroute via Davao (DVO), subject to seat availability.
In addition, they are advised to monitor updates through PAL’s official communication channels and check the status of their flights before proceeding to the airport.
- Manila Landline: (+632) 8539-0000 / (+632) 8855-8888
- Philippines Mobile: (+63) 919-056-2255
- U.S. and Canada Toll-Free Number: 1-800-435-9725
- Messenger: https://www.m.me/PhilippineAirlines
- WhatsApp: https://wa.me/639178305810
- PAL Help Page: https://pal.my.site.com/s/
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our passengers’ understanding as we prioritize safety during this situation,” added PAL. “Our thoughts are with all communities affected by the earthquake.”
CEBU PACIFIC
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific has also suspended its operations to General Santos for the day. Affected flights are the following:
5J 249/250 (Cebu – General Santos – Cebu); 5J 991/992 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); 5J 993/994 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); 5J 995/996 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); 5J 998 (General Santos – Manila); and 5J 4843/4844 (Iloilo – General Santos – Iloilo).
It has also since canceled the following flights scheduled on Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10.
5J 251/252 (Cebu – General Santos – Cebu); 5J 991/992 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); 5J 993/994 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); 5J 995/996 (Manila – General Santos – Manila); and 5J 997/998 (Manila – General Santos – Manila).
In addition, 5J 4843/4844 (Iloilo – General Santos – Iloilo) are also canceled on June 10.
“Affected passengers have been informed via email and provided with the following options through the Manage Booking portal on the Cebu Pacific website,” noted the budget carrier, which listed options such as Free Rebooking / Rerouting wiving 30 days, storing the amount of the ticket to their Travel Fund, or a full refund.
“As this is a developing situation, some flight changes may continue to take place,” furthered CEB and directed lassengers to check the status of their flights via the Cebu Pacific portal and update their contact details via the Manage Booking portal to receive email notifications on flight reminders and updates.
“We appeal for your patience and understanding as we work towards normalizing our operations as soon as possible,” it added.
GENSAN AIRPORT CONTINUE OPS FOR HUMANITARIAN, RELIEF OPS
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez has since ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to lift the suspension of airport operations at the General Santos Airport to allow military aircraft, government and humanitarian flights.
The directive had been issued to ensure “unimpeded relief transport and rapid humanitarian response operations” after the Magnitud 7.8 earthquake.
Secretary Lopez said the General Santos Airport must be kept open for disaster response and relief efforts, for employees who will assist in the relief operations and others who may want to bring relief goods.
“Ang utos ng Pangulo dapat mabilis at tuluy-tuloy tayong makatugon sa pangangailangan ng mga kababayan nating apektado ng lindol. Kailangan maagap tayo sa pag-responde para agarang makatulong sa mga kababayan natin,” Lopez said.
Earlier in the day, CAAP has issued the temporary suspension of operations at General Santos Airport as it assessed the air navigation facilities, equipment, and operational capabilities to ensure the safety and integrity of the structures at the airport.
The transport chief has also ordered CAAP to ensure the integrity of the airport’s structures to guarantee the safety of the passengers and airport personnel and that all personnel mustvbe accounted for.
“Bukod sa dapat matiyak natin na hindi nagtamo ng matinding damage ang airport, ang primordial concern natin din dito ay safety ng ating mga pasahero at mga tauhan. Dapat matiyak din natin na OK ang ating mga kasamahan sa trabaho at ang kanilang pamilya kasi marami talaga ang apektado,” Secretary Lopez told, assuring support from the Department of Transportation for affected employees.
Secretary Lopez likewise gave instructions to prepare for possible deployment of government assets for “Libreng Sakay” in affected areas, in case there are stranded commuters.
Both offices of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulator Board (LTFRB) in Davao and General Santos have been directed to issue special permits to buses for stranded passengers going to and from Davao and GenSan airports, in coordination with the airlines.