The Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, the operating arm of Clark International Airport, said 14 flights had been cancelled as a direct effect of the COVID-19 travel ban.
The coronavirus or COVID-19 already afflicted 24 Filipinos.
LIPAD said as early as January 31, 2020, five airlines with flights to China, where the deadly coronavirus originated, had already announced flight cancellations. These are China Eastern, Xiamen Air, Royal Air, Cathay Dragon, and Cebu Pacific.
The other airlines which announced flight cancellations are: Jin Air, Korean Air, Air Asia, T’Way, and Philippine Air Lines. Some of the flight cancellations had been scheduled until end of May this year.
LIPAD spokeswoman Teri Flores said Clark airport is currently posting 130 international and 428 domestic flights per week.
Flores said 14 flights were cancelled as a direct effect of COVID-19 travel ban. A total of 30 flights had been cancelled per day but other airlines such as Korean Air stopped its flights mainly due to its “winter schedule” from October to January. “6 flights to and from South Korea were discontinued due to seasonality (winter schedule). We are now waiting for the announcement from the airline when they will start their summer schedule. The others are due to operational reasons, as stated in airline advisories.”
Amid the COVID-19 threat, Flores said other local and foreign airlines are still flying in and out of Clark airport. These airlines are: PAL, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Scoot, Jet Star, Jin Air, Cebu Pacific, CEBGo, PAL Express, Air Asia and Air Swift.
Flores said that “aside from the precautionary measures advised by WHO, CRK has introduced new measures and disinfecting techniques, as well as increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high traffic and high contact areas within the terminal.”
She said the Clark airport has also “added temperature points, which include the Main Terminal Entrance, and Corporate Offices.”
As the COVID-19 continues to cause major disruptions in world economies, Flores said passenger traffic to and from Clark airport will also be affected.
In 2019, Flores said a total of 4 million passengers had passed through the Clark airport making it the 3rdbusiest airport in the country after Cebu-Mactan International Airport and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.