NAIA turboprop ban to affect over 900K Cebu Pacific guests

MANILA, Philippines — More than 925,000 passengers of low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific will soon have to travel to Clark just to take their flights to smaller towns that are reachable only by turboprops.

The STAR learned that Cebu Pacific unit Cebgo, which operates an all-turboprop fleet, flew 2.5 million passengers and deployed almost 37,000 flights last year.

By origin, 37 percent of Cebgo’s passengers booked flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), where turboprops will be restricted starting March 30.

The Manila Slot Coordination Committee, led by the Department of Transportation, is ordering the removal of turboprops in NAIA to maximize its single runway for larger aircraft. The policy mandates airlines to withdraw turboprops in phases.

By March 30, the regulator requires that 30 percent of turboprop operations are transferred from NAIA to secondary airports. After that, airlines have to remove their turboprops from NAIA by Oct. 26.

Cebu Pacific, the biggest domestic carrier by passenger and fleet size, owns the most turboprops at 15, and uses them to ferry passengers to island destinations through Cebgo.

Currently, Cebgo, operating with airline code DG, flies out of NAIA Terminal 2 to reach Busuanga, Caticlan, Cebu, Legazpi, Masbate, Naga, San Jose, Siargao and Surigao.

However, by March 30, Cebu Pacific is transferring Cebgo’s Masbate- and Siargao-bound flights to the Clark International Airport in compliance with the policy.

While the single flight frequency to Masbate is retained, Cebu Pacific is limiting flight schedules to Siargao to two once they are in Clark. Further, the airline is discontinuing its Manila services to Surigao by March 30.

“Cebu Pacific recognizes the importance of managing airport capacity effectively, which should lead to improved passenger experience and greater public convenience,” Cebu Pacific said.

The airline reminded passengers affected by the airport change that they can avail themselves of free rebooking and full refund.