Clark still operational for international flights; Cebu Pacific flights cancelled

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga- Clark International Airport (CRK) announced it will remain operational to service inbound and outbound international flights throughout the duration of the enhanced community quarantine even as Cebu Pacific flights were cancelled effective March 19 to April 14.

“Following the announcement made by the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the amendments and/or modifications to the guidelines for the community quarantine over entire luzon and management of the coronavirus disease situation, CRK will remain operational to service inbound and outbound international flights throughout the duration of the quarantine period, subject to a number of implementing guidelines,”  LiPad Corp. corporate communications head Teri Flores said.

                First, only overseas Filipino workers, balikbayans and foreign nationals will be allowed to leave the Philippines at any time.

Filipino citizens leaving for tourism purposes will not be allowed to depart.

 Second, inbound international passengers shall be allowed entry, subject to strict immigration and quarantine protocols.

“The public is advised to observe ground transportation guidelines when traveling to and from the airport. Public land transportation such as P2P bus services, public utility vehicles and taxi services will not be operational during this time,” Flores added. 

                This is also subject to any further directives set by the Philippine IATF and the provincial government of Pampanga. 

Meanwhile, all Cebu Pacific flights were cancelled after the government implemented enhanced community quarantine over Luzon with similar directives nationwide. 

“We are ensuring the safety of our passengers and operations teams, in compliance with the stricter quarantine measures, land travel restrictions and regulations in place,” Cebu Pacific said in a statement.  

                The last day of operations was March 18.

The airline firm urged travelers to check flight status at bit.ly/CEBflight-status.

                Below is a summary of the options for passengers on cancelled flights due to COVID-19. These options may be processed online via the “Manage Booking” portal in the Cebu Pacific website bit.ly/CEBmanageflight. 

                “For the health and safety of our passengers and personnel, all Cebu Pacific ticket offices will be closed from March 19 to April 14, 2020. For any concerns, please contact Cebu Pacific via  bit.ly/CEBrequest. You may also contact our customer hotlines through bit.ly/CustomerHotlines. For more details, check: bit.ly/CEBCOVID-19FAQ” 

                We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as soon as possible. This is a developing and unprecedented situation. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding, and our flight, operational and frontline teams for doing all they can to assist our passengers, the statement said. – With a report by Mar T. Supnad