14 NAIA flights cancelled

MANILA, Philippines - Amid the exodus of people to the provinces for the Holy Week break, 14 flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were cancelled yesterday due to technical problems.

At NAIA Terminal 4, Zest Air flights to Busuanga, Palawan and Masbate were cancelled due to aircraft problems.

Cebu Pacific flights to Caticlan, Aklan at NAIA Terminal 3 were also shelved, airport authorities said.

Technical problems also caused the cancellation of two international flights of Philippine Airlines to Honolulu, Hawaii and Cebu Pacific to Hong Kong.

Airport officials said the affected passengers were rebooked on the next flights and given snacks and accommodations as mandated by the Air Passenger Bill of Rights.

“It’s automatic. They will be rebooked for the next available flights and their needs will have to be attended to by the airlines,” Consuelo Bungag, director of the Manila International Airport Authority media affairs division, said.

The Air Passenger Bill of Rights initiated by the Department of Transportation and Communications and Department of Trade and Industry to protect air travelers took effect in December 2012. – Rudy Santos, Rainier Allan Ronda