Several PAL flights from US, Canada to arrive in Cebu

Aviation Updates Philippines – On Wednesday, national flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced some flights from the United States, and Canada would instead arrive at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) due to quarantine processing limitations in Manila.

PAL said flights PR-103 from Los Angeles, PR-105 from San Francisco, and PR-119 from Toronto are scheduled to arrive at MCIA on Friday. The rerouting of these flights to Cebu is subject to final government approval, the airline said.

"The rerouting is necessary to avoid the cancellation of these two flights because of ongoing limitations in Manila's quarantine processing capacity." The passenger capacity for arriving international guests in Manila is only 600 per day for all airlines.

The airline also advised rerouted passengers to pre-book hotels accredited by Philippine health agencies. The hotel will also serve as their quarantine facility while awaiting their COVID-19 test results which may be processed within 24 to 48 hours.

For more information regarding your arrival in Cebu, please click this link directing you to PAL's advisory.

It is important to note that MCIA, located in Mactan island, is not under the enhanced community quarantine, contrary to Cebu City. Therefore, restrictions at the airport may seem "more relaxed," given the island is under the general community quarantine.

As of writing, PR-5103 from Los Angeles to Cebu, a Boeing 777-300ER flight, is already en-route. The two other flights are expected to depart in the next few hours, giving enough time allowances between these arrivals.