Web Report

Dubai: Filipinos in the Middle East are not happy their own two airlines – Philippines Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air – have announced the suspension of operations in the region.
During May 2017 national flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that it will be suspending flights to and from Abu Dhabi starting July 8 this year until further notice.
In the latest move, Cebu Pacific Air announced the suspension of operations in some Gulf countries.
The low-cost carrier, which is headquartered in Manila, Philippines, and operates the Dubai route, has announced that it is ceasing flights to and from Kuwait; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Doha, Qatar.
The suspension of flights will take effect on different dates, with the first cancellation slated for next month. The last outbound flights from Kuwait, Riyadh and Doha will be on June 14, July 3 and July 1, respectively.
“These routes are no longer viable and sustainable,” the airline informed.
In a statement, the airline admitted that its business has been affected by competition in the aviation industry, especially with the aggressive expansion by other carriers.
“The entry of Cebu Pacific into these markets benefited passengers with lower fares and more choices. Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in a substantial oversupply of seats and fares that are so low, hence making the routes unsustainable,” said lawyer Jr Mantaring, vice-president for corporate affairs of Cebu Pacific.
“We have continuously reviewed our routes to ensure their viability. At this point, it makes more sense for us to re-deploy the aircraft for our Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where we can further stimulate demand and sustain our low fare offers.”
The airline said it will continue to operate its long-haul services to and from Dubai, UAE and Sydney, Australia, hinting that it might even increase frequencies to these destinations in the future. The airline also flies to 24 other international destinations across Asia, US as well as 37 domestic destinations.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this service suspension may cause our passengers, and hope for understanding,” the airline said on its Facebook page.
Cebu Pacific said the affected passengers can transfer to another airline with the same route, rebook to an earlier flight or seek a refund.