Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced Tuesday they are suspending all flights starting today, March 26, as it copes with the effects of pandemic COVID-19.
PAL in a statement issued Tuesday, March 24, said there would be no international flights beginning Thursday.
The airline suspended all domestic flights on March 17 after the government put the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine.
“After careful consideration, we concluded that PAL could no longer sustain even a limited number of international flights,” said PAL.
“Our firm goal is to resume operations starting April 15, if warranted by Philippine and international authorities, global public health conditions, and the travel environment,” PAL added.
The last flight to leave Manila will be PR104 bound for San Francisco on Wednesday, March 25, at 10:10 pm.
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Philippine Airlines suspends all flights starting March 26
PAL inbound flights from Los Angeles, Tokyo, Narita, and Jakarta will arrive on Thursday, and on Friday, March 27, from New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
“We shall now turn our attention to the task of conserving our resources in anticipation of the recovery and caring for the needs of our PAL team members, while we keep our fleet ready for the day that we resume flying,” PAL said.
“We shall continue to make aircraft and service personnel available for special flights to retrieve stranded passengers as well as cargo flights to keep intact critical supply chains across our islands,” it added.
The flag carrier advised the public to check its website and social media accounts for updates.
“We understand that this pause in operations will be an inconvenience, and we hope for your understanding as we at PAL look to the safety of our colleagues and our families as we all face this global contagion,” said PAL.