Philippine Airlines (PAL) explained that recent flight cancellations was the increase in the number of aircraft on preventive maintenance, as a result of high utilization brought about by revenge travel or high travel demand.
he carrier said that aircraft maintenance a top priority to ensure the safety of flights.
"In essence, the rise in aircraft maintenance is a direct result of increased aircraft utilization driven by high travel demand in recent months," PAL said in a statement.
It added some of PAL aircraft require preventive maintenance earlier than scheduled and unforeseen maintenance issues arise, impacting the carrier's flight rotations, as safety and the well-being of their passengers are of utmost importance.
PAL was flooded with complaints from passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who were going abroad because their flight schedule were cancelled on Thursday due to alleged aircraft maintenance.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said that 14 international flights of PAL were cancelled because of the transfer of international flights from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1.
The remaining PAL international flights were already transferred on Friday from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1.
The MIAA said that about 40 international flights of PAL were transferred to Terminal 1 including flights to the United States, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Korea, and other international flights.
The airline said adjustment were made to provide passengers better flexibility in the event of a disruption such as transfering passengers to other airlines so they can continue their travel.
PAL added that it implemented measures to reduce published capacity for the upcoming months and are reviewing its plans for the remainder of the year.
"Our objective is to strike a balance between maintaining well-maintained aircraft and providing reliable schedules for our passengers," PAL said, adding, "we are actively optimizing our operations to minimize disruptions and restore normalcy to our flight schedules."