Filipino jet-setters in Holy Week hit with fresh fly restrictions

MANILA, Philippines — The dry season is starting on a weak note for the second year in a row this year as airlines begin grounding leisure travelers from Metro Manila over the next 2 weeks to control the spread of coronavirus.

Philippine Airlines, Philippines AirAsia Inc. and Cebu Air Inc. separately announced on Sunday evening that their flights would go on unhampered on Monday, but that travelers would need to present proof it is necessary for them to fly out from March 22 to April 4.

That means fliers from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) out to enjoy the sun in beaches like Boracay Island that just recently reopened will not be allowed to board because their travel is considered “non-essential.” Instead, they are advised to rebook for free, refund their ticket costs, or apply it to a 2-year travel voucher.

“All air carriers are thus reminded to ensure that departing, arriving, or transiting passengers...  are travelling for non-leisure purposes,” the Civil Aeronautics Board, the aviation regulator, said in an advisory to airlines.

The four terminals of NAIA, the country’s main gateway, service Greater Manila area which was placed under general community quarantine with additional restrictions over the next 2 weeks. The area includes the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal— all of which have been the center of recent COVID-19 case spike that hit a daily record-high of 7,999 nationwide last Saturday.

A year after the pandemic started, the latest round of restrictions only pose to threaten what is typically a time when Filipino jet-setters fly out to enjoy the long holiday due to the Christian Lenten observance of Holy Week. This year, that long weekend falls from April 1 to 4, and experts have warned that people movements at the time may trigger further surge in infections.

Last week, the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines estimated that airline losses have reached P65 billion last year while over 5,000 staff were laid off to avert a permanent shut down. With foreign travel still largely on a halt, domestic tourism relied upon for rebound has limped through lack of consumer confidence and now, new lockdowns. 

The tourism sector is considered by government part of “strategically important companies” that would benefit from a bill intending to allow the state to buy stakes in exchange for funding for recovery. The bill, considered a priority of the Duterte administration, has been stuck in Congress since last year.

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