AUP's top PH aviation stories of 2020
Aviation Updates Philippines – It's a new year again. But here at AUP, we've been celebrating new
years for the past 8 years already. The year 2020 has been a total setback in
the ever-growing aviation industry in the Philippines and worldwide.
Nevertheless, 2020 started off pretty well, especially with the
announcement of new routes and flight resumptions from almost all local
carriers here in the country.
Back in January, there were notable new flights we covered: Philippine
Airlines announced the launching of
eight new routes; South Korean low-cost airline start-up Fly Gangwon planned to fly
Yangyang to Clark; Starlux Airlines to
launch Taipei-Cebu; Philippines AirAsia
relaunched Ho Chi Minh services; SkyJet Airlines to resume
Manila-Siargao, among others.
AUP also first broke the news about the
country's newest start-up airline — Sunlight Air. The airline exclusively revealed the first photos
of their new aircraft to AUP in January, and informed us on their planned
routes: Manila to Busuanga and Puerto Princesa.
The COVID-19 pandemic, thankfully, did not ultimately hinder their launch.
On Christmas eve, Sunlight Air sent off its inaugural commercial service,
operating a flight from Manila to Busuanga.
Speaking of COVID-19, it was on January 22, 2020, when AUP first reported
about a certain contagious coronavirus spreading from mainland China. Our
article covered that local airports have
ramped up its screening against possible COVID-19 positives
from China early on.
And two days later, the first round of flight suspensions
because of this virus was reported. "CAB suspends flights from Wuhan,
China amid coronavirus outbreak," the headline reads. From there, the
travel bans widened from Wuhan, to the whole of mainland China, South
Korea, and others.
Also, a step out of the negatives: it's also rightful to note that the
much-awaited Boeing 777X performed its successful
first flight
during the first month of 2020. While the Boeing 737 MAX faced severe
setbacks a year before, the FAA
revoked the directive
banning the MAX from flying in the last few months of 2020.
Without further adieu, here are our
most read and trending stories in 2020.
1. Cebu Pacific sends several A321, A330 to Alice Springs for storage - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
The news about the multi-aircraft storage to Australia was a big hit to
the readers. The story seemed like it was an indication of the worsening
situation the travel and tourism industry in the country were in. However,
not to fear, it was a actually a smart move for Cebu Pacific to protect
their assets and to save on costs.
2. MIAA: NAIA loses P200 million amid flight suspensions - Joshua Noelson Cruz
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manila International Airport
Authority (MIAA) reported on April 2020 that the airport has been losing
money due to the stark reduction of flights over the summer. The country's
three major airlines — Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and
AirAsia — announced the suspension of all domestic and international
flights until April 30, 2020.
3. Airbus sells planes destined for AirAsia - Joshua Noelson Cruz
Airlines worldwide have been creatively thinking of ways to minimize costs
as flight frequencies remain significantly low. Aircraft manufacturers are
also affected by these decisions of airlines to not take up or cancel
orders.
Reuters reported Airbus was selling four Airbus A320neo and two Airbus
A321neo aircraft originally ordered by AirAsia Malaysia. These aircraft
seats around 186 to 236 passengers in a single-class configuration.
4. PAL arrives in Miami - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
As part of the national flag carrier's commitment in bringing home our
kababayans, PAL dispatched a Boeing 777-300ER from its fleet and
flew direct from Manila to Miami, Florida. It broke records as the airline
recorded its farthest route to fly, covering roughly 9,314 miles in
distance.
5. PAL lands in Maldives for the first time - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
The year 2020 brought a lot of firsts for Philippine Airlines. And aside
from that first direct flight to Miami, PAL also flew to Male, Maldives
for another humanitarian mission. As the national flag carrier, PAL felt
it was its duty to bring home Filipinos to our country.
6. Emirates plans to resume flights to the Philippines, other destinations in July 2020 - Francis Dominic Tupue
Earlier, Emirates suspended a significant amount of flights from its
global network, the Philippines included. In this May 2020 report, the
Gulf airline indicated the resumption of flights from Dubai to Manila
beginning July 1, 2020.
7. NAIA now closed as medevac flight crashes on take-off - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
On March 2020, an IAI-1124A Westwind (with registry RP-C5880) crashed on
take-off, killing eight passengers and crew members on a medical
evacuation flight to Tokyo, Japan. Emergency responders immediately
attended to the fire.
The crash resulted to the closure of Manila's Runway 06/24 — the sole
runway available at that time since Runway 13/31 was converted into a
temporary aircraft parking area.
8. Emirates to fly A380 to Clark on August 19 - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
Some exciting news for this year. Emirates sent an Airbus A380-800, the
world's largest passenger aircraft, to Clark, Pampanga for a one-off
commercial flight in August 2020. The flight celebrated the 30th year of
Emirates' presence in the Philippines.
9. Cebu Pacific set to restart more international flights - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
As the COVID-19 pandemic virtually halted all flight activities in the
region, Cebu Pacific, in a July 2020 report, was inclined to relaunch
international flights in August 2020. The news follows the recent
resumption of Manila-Dubai flights a week earlier.
10. PAF Blackhawks arrive in PH - Dirk Andrei Salcedo
And to top-off our top 10 list of AUP's trending stories of the year 2020:
the Philippine Air Force received its first batch of the Sikorsky S-70i
Blackhawk in November 2020. The arrival of these brand-new combat utility
helicopters marked the gradually improving capabilities of the PAF.
The PAF also received a new Gulfstream G280 command and control aircraft,
and six Embraer A-29 Super Tucano attack and counter-insurgency
aircraft.
A year-end message
The year may have been a rollercoaster ride for all us but it has been a
great year for realizations and lessons. The aviation industry faced
multitudes of stumbling blocks in the past year. Let us continue to pray
for 2020 to be a year of recovery and healing.
For our readers and followers who supported us all the way, we thank you
sincerely. Here's to more amazing news this 2021! *Cheers*
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