Butuan Airport, ordered closed after an airplane accident, may reopen Sunday

 News
Feb 152014
 
Operations at the Butuan Airport may resume by 4 p.m. Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said Saturday after a Cebu Pacific airplane went off the runway earlier that day.

According to the CAAP, the Butuan Area Manager has issued a runway closure order which will be in effect until Sunday afternoon. CAAP said the closure order “may be revised or cancelled earlier if status thereat changes.”

Cebu Pacific flight 5J 220 from Butuan to Cebu was grounded “after the aircraft nose wheel went off the runway 30 of Butuan Airport as it was turning  in preparation for takeoff.”

The accident prompted Cebu Pacific to cancel the Butuan-Cebu flight as well as “two turn around flights of Cebu Pacific from Manila to Butuan and back on flights 5J 785/786 and 5J791/792 and Cebu Butuan Cebu 5J 223/5J22.”

The plane, an Airbus A319, has been grounded and the CAAP has sent a team of aircraft accident investigators to determine what caused the accident. — JDS, GMA News

Butuan aircraft runway closed after freak accident; 7 CebuPac flights canceled

 News
Feb 152014
 
Butuan aircraft runway closed after freak accident; 7 CebuPac flights canceled

Butuan’s Bancasi airport halted their operations Saturday after a Cebu Pacific aircraft’s nose wheel went off the runway.   “CEB flight 5J 220 Butuan – Cebu today has been cancelled after the aircraft nose wheel went off the runway as it was turning in preparation for takeoff,” said Cebu Pacific in a public message posted on Facebook at 2:27pm.  “All passengers have deplaned and are currently being re-accommodated in the next available flights. The Butuan runway has been temporarily closed,” the statement added.  Several other flights were cancelled because of the incident: 5J220 Butuan-Cebu 5J785/786 Manila-Butuan-Manila 5J791/792 Manila-Butuan-Manila 5J223/224 Cebu-Butuan-Cebu Passengers affected were offered options including free rebooking of flight within 30 days, rerouting to the nearest alternate airport in Cagayan De Oro or Davao, or a full refund. – GMA News

Five flights to Caticlan cancelled due to bad weather – DOTC

 News
Nov 232013
 
Five flights to Caticlan cancelled due to bad weather – DOTC

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines Express have cancelled a total of five flights to Caticlan, Aklan Saturday due to bad weather,  the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said. On Twitter, DOTC stated that Cebu Pacific flights 5J-897 and 5J-895 (Manila to Caticlan), 5J-896 5J-898 (Caticlan to Manila) have been cancelled. Philippine Airlines Express, meanwhile, has cancelled flight  2P-046 bound from Caticlan to Manila.  PAGASA earlier said a low pressure area (LPA) will bring moderate to heavy rain over the central and southern parts of the Philippines. The weather bureau’s 5 a.m. forecast said Palawan, Visayas and the regions of Zamboanga Peninsula, northern Mindanao and CARAGA will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the LPA. In a statement, Cebu Pacific said passengers affected by the flight cancellation may rebook their flights for travel within 30 days from original departure date. They may also opt for a refund without incurring any penalties. – Xianne Arcangel / KDM, GMA News 

1,700 daily passengers affected due to Zambo airport closure

 Economy
Sep 132013
 
1,700 daily passengers affected due to Zambo airport closure

MANILA — Cebu Pacific Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) is closely coordinating with the government for the re-accommodation of passengers affected by the Zamboanga Airport temporary closure due to the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga city. Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer, on Thursday said at least 1,700 passengers of the airline have been affected daily since the airport has been ordered temporarily closed on Wednesday. “We are giving them (passengers) option. They can rebook their tickets or we can refund them,” Gokongwei said in a press briefing shortly after the arrival ceremony of the airline’s newest aircraft, the long range Airbus A330 here. He said he can only give a figure on affected passengers and begged off when asked how much the airline is losing due to cancellation of its flights to and from Zamboanga. Cebu Pacific flies to Zamboanga four times daily from Manila, once daily from Cebu and Tawi-Tawi, three times weekly from Cagayan de Oro City, and four times weekly from Davao City. On Friday, Cebu Pacific arranged two special flights from Tawi-Tawi to Cebu to accommodate passengers who are travelling for the Hajj Pilgrimage. Cebu Pacific’s daily flights between Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi have been suspended since September 9. Upon arrival in Cebu, passengers were re-accommodated on scheduled Cebu Pacific flights from Cebu to Manila on the same day, an advisory said. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, meanwhile, has extended the suspension of Zamboanga Airport operations from September 13 to 16 due to Read More …

CAAP defers new aircraft turnaround policy

 Economy
Jul 312013
 
CAAP defers new aircraft turnaround policy

MANILA, Philippines – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has decided to defer the implementation of a minimum 40-minute scheduled ground time for the domestic flights of budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) so as not to affect at least 7,000 passengers. Capt. John Andrews, deputy director general CAAP, said in a press conference that the regulator decided to call off the implementation of an order requiring Cebu Pacific to adopt a 40-minute ground time for domestic flights instead of the original plan of 45 minutes from the current 30 minutes. “This is not feasible at this time. We are therefore cancelling the order for them to comply with the 45-minute scheduled ground time,” he stressed. Instead, Andrews said the mandatory scheduled ground time would be imposed on all airlines, particularly low cost carriers, as early as the start of the “winter” season or on Oct. 1. He told reporters at a press conference that the implementation of the order on the scheduled ground time for Cebu Pacific would affect a total of 75 flights involving about 7,000 passengers. “It will result to delays in 75 flights and this will have a boomerang effect and most likely the last flights will be cancelled,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Andrews said there is no definite schedule yet for the implementation of the 40-minute scheduled ground time but the regulator is looking at the “winter” season or October as the airlines have yet Read More …

Cebu Pac posts 1-digit growth in number of passengers

 Economy
Jun 282013
 
Cebu Pac posts 1-digit growth in number of passengers

MANILA, Philippines – Listed budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) of taipan John L. Gokongwei Jr. is likely to serve less than 15 million passengers this year after posting a single-digit growth in the volume of passengers in the first quarter of the year. Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer Lance Gokongwei said in an interview with reporters that the low cost carrier would likely miss its projected volume of passengers this year after the slowdown in the growth in air traffic in the first quarter. “That remains our target, although after the first quarter I think we will be a little bit short. It will be lower than 15 million but close to that,” Gokongwei stressed. In the first quarter of the year, volume of passengers of Cebu Pacific inched up 4.9 percent to 3.5 million from 3.4 million in the same quarter last year, while number of flights increased 4.8 percent as the number of aircraft went up to 43 from 40. The growth in the first quarter was less than half the double-digit growth in the volume of passengers booked last year. Cebu Pacific booked a double-digit 11 percent growth in volume of passengers to 13.26 million in 2012 from 11.93 million in 2011 on the back of robust domestic and international operations brought about by aggressive sales promotions last year. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 This was however lower than the target of 14 million passengers. Latest data from the Read More …

Navy awards 'Captain Bok' in Cebu Pacific mishap

 News
Jun 142013
 
Navy awards 'Captain Bok' in Cebu Pacific mishap

Navy ENS Marlon Bo receives medal for helping CebuPac passengers. Philippine Navy Capt. Jesulito Calimag, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command in Intramuros, Manila, pins a commendation medal on ENS Marlon Bo on Friday, June 14. Bo, a Navy reservist, helped calm down and assisted the stricken passengers of the Cebu Pacific plane that skidded off the Davao Int’l Airport runway on June 2. Danny Pata When Ensign Marlon Bo, a naval reserve officer, boarded Cebu Pacific’s Flight 5J-971 as a passenger on June 2, he didn’t know he’d emerge from it a hero. Bo was the “Captain Bok” referred to by the flight’s passengers who they said helped maintain calm after the plane skidded off the runway of the Davao International Airport on that day. “They thought I was the captain,” a visibly happy Bo told GMA News Online on Friday. “But I was actually wearing shorts and sandals that time.” For his deeds, the Philippine Navy awarded Bo with the Military Commendation Medal at the Navy Reserve Command Headquarters in Intramuros. Bo was mentioned in a personal account of one of the passengers, describing him as a “guiding voice” at the time of the incident, which paralyzed the operations of the Davao airport for almost two days. Captain Bok “It took the courage of one person, whom we only know as Captain Bok from the Philippine Navy, to stand up and calm everyone down. He knew what he was doing and he was in control even when the Read More …

Cebu Pacific, PAL eye Iloilo-Korea flights

 Economy
Jun 142013
 
Cebu Pacific, PAL eye Iloilo-Korea flights

MANILA, Philippines – Flag carriers Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines are looking into the possibility of offering direct flights from Iloilo to Korea, the firms’ representatives said on Friday. PAL Iloilo Area Manager Juancho Demaguila said the company’s general sales agent is now considering an Iloilo to Korea flight due to the influx of Korean tourists coming to Iloilo to travel and study. Meanwhile, Rosalie Gamutan, senior supervisor of Cebu Pacific, said the budget carrier is also planning to offer the same flights following its launch last year of direct flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore. Overseas Filipino workers  from Western Visayas are expected to benefit from the direct flights, along with tourists from the region. The two airline companies are also reportedly studying the possibility of having direct flights from Iloilo to Xiamen, China and Japan to boost tourism in the country.

DOTC: Bad weather over NCR forces flight cancellations, diversions

 News
Jun 132013
 
DOTC: Bad weather over NCR forces flight cancellations, diversions

Heavy rain that fell over Metro Manila Thursday afternoon forced the cancellation of at least two flights and the diversion of five Manila-bound flights, including one from the United States. The Department of Transportation and Communications said the affected flights belonged to flag carrier Philippine Airlines, PAL Express and Cebu Pacific. One international flight from the US was diverted to Clark in Pampanga due to heavy rain, the DOTC said on its Twitter account. It identified the affected international flight as PAL Flight PR-113 from Los Angeles to Manila. The DOTC, in a separate Twitter post, said the canceled flights included: – 5J-911: Manila to Caticlan– 5J-912: Caticlan to Manila Cebu Pacific flight 5J-995, from Manila to General Santos, was diverted to Davao due to bad weather, it added. The DOTC also said three flights were diverted to Clark “due to weather condition.” These included: – 2P-056: Caticlan to Manila (PAL Express)– 2P-966: Cagayan de Oro to Manila (PAL Express)– 5J-966: Davao to Manila (Cebu Pacific) NAIA said Cebu Pacific 5J-906 (Caticlan to Manila) was also diverted to Clark. Heavy rain from a thunderstorm had fallen over Metro Manila, rendering many roads impassable and forcing some schools to suspend classes for the afternoon and evening. Many roads were flooded, stranding employees, students and commuters. Traffic was also snarled in many parts of Metro Manila, radio dzBB reported. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Railways said its commuter services were not operational “due to floods in some areas.” — BM, GMA News

Palace: Cebu Pacific plane mishap at Davao airport shouldn’t happen again

 Entertainment
Jun 082013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Tuesday told airlines in the country to take the necessary steps to make sure there will not be a repeat of Sunday’s mishap involving a Cebu Pacific airplane at the Davao International Airport. At a press briefing, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) […]

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