Local carriers want quota on international passenger arrivals removed

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine carriers are hoping the government will scrap the daily quota imposed on international passenger arrivals in the country.

Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) executive director and vice chairman Roberto Lim said the imposition of the quota adversely impacts not only inbound passengers, but also outbound passengers like seamen and other overseas Filipino workers as well.

“When you impose this quota, you are forcing the airlines to cut capacity, that means they will have to consolidate their bookings into far fewer flights in order to come to the Philippines. And with less flights to the Philippines, there are less flights available going out of the Philippines, creating a ripple effect for Philippine-based workers to travel abroad. So it goes both ways,” Lim said.

A cap of 1,500 passengers has been put in place at the Mactan International Airport and the Clark International Airport, while a previous quota of 3,000 passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was reduced further to 1,500 since March 18.

“We hope that while this administrative tool is very convenient in containing, managing the COVID risk, we believe that there are other tools that can accompany this approach to mitigate and finally phase out quota of international passenger arrivals,” Lim said.

Lim said increasing international and domestic air travel is crucial in igniting economic recovery in the country.

He said there is a need to restore the attractiveness of Philippine destinations.

“The only thing that is hindering the restoration is really successfully combating, containing COVID- 19 through vaccination, testing, and tracing,” Lim said.

“We have to stimulate demand, revive the tourism industry, and help Philippine aviation bounce back,” he said.

According to Lim, recent instances such as the US issuance of a “do not travel” advisory to the Philippines and the UK’s travel “red list,” that included the country, have put astray whatever plans the local carriers have been making since last year.

“It’s so difficult to plan numbers and forecasts. All are changing every time. It is quite unpredictable what the future of air travel is for the moment,” he said.

With restrictions still in place and the emergence of new COVID variants, airlines continue to reel from the heavy beating brought about by the pandemic.

Combined losses of ACAP members consisting of Philippines Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines was estimated to have reached P65 billion in 2020 as passenger traffic plummeted due to travel restrictions.

Lim said a vaccination timeline would impact on the ability of the Philippines to quickly open international travel.

“Remember, international travel comes in pairs. Our ability to travel abroad depends on the confidence of the other country in allowing Filipinos and other residents from the Philippines to enter their country,” he said.