Amid regional conflict, PAL cancels Middle East flights
The rising political tension between Israel and Iran disrupted the operations of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), canceling select flights to Doha, Dubai and Riyadh.
In an advisory, the Lucio Tan-led airline said it had canceled the following June 24 flights: Manila-Doha (PR 684), Manila-Dubai-Manila (PR 658/659) and Manila-Riyadh-Manila (PR 654/655).
For June 25, the Doha-Manila flight (PR 685) was also canceled.
Safe operations
Affected passengers may rebook another flight within 60 days from the original flight. They can also convert the ticket to travel credits or refund it without penalties.
“Regularly check the status of your flight by logging on to www.philippineairlines.com and visiting the Flight Status section(www.philippineairlines.com/en/flight-status), or checking further advisories on our Official PAL Facebook page,” PAL said.
Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, will continue to operate its flights to the Middle East as scheduled as its route is not affected by the current political tension.
The budget carrier services flights to and from Dubai.
“Our route does not fly over conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, allowing us to operate safely,” the airline said.
“We continue to actively monitor the situation and will share further updates as necessary,” it added.
The government is in the process of bringing home overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East. Over 200 repatriation requests have been lodged so far but other OFW chose to stay and continue working.
The returning OFWs will receive a government support package that includes P150,000 in financial aid, covering accommodation, transportation and livelihood assistance.
