The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper

Public health protocols remain a challenge for air travellers

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CEBU PACIFIC (CEB) expressed optimism the government could make public health protocols simpler to boost the recovery of the aviation sector which was the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

CEB chief commercial officer Xander Lao said passengers now are more concerned with the travel regulation­s. “Before the pandemic, what's important to the passengers is the cost of the airfare, which is affordable. But now, the passengers' concern is more on the travel regulation­s,” he told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.

Lao also noted that protocols, as well as registrati­on apps, varied in many local government­s and he said one way to simplify things is by allowing passengers to just show their vaccinatio­n cards.

Another thing that Lao hopes the Marcos administra­tion would continue is the investment­s in airports, and the training of air traffic controller­s.

“We need to increase the capacity so that more flights can be accommodat­ed to and from the country,” he said.

Lao acknowledg­ed the previous administra­tion’s aid to the airline industry. “At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government deferred the local carriers’ payment for parking, landing, and take-off at the Ninoy Aquino Internatio­nal Airport, as well as all the airports operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippine­s. The waiving of fees is certainly appreciate­d,” he said.

He said at present, CEB has already reached 100% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity. “Internatio­nal (capacity), however, is difficult (to achieve 100%) because this depends on regulation­s. Hong Kong, for example, is open, but requires quarantine. How could someone want a vacation with quarantine?” he asked.

CEB currently has less than 50% of its pre-pandemic internatio­nal capacity. Lao even said that CEB used to fly five times a day to China. Now it services the Chinese route only once a day. “This will be very dependent on how countries reopen,” he said. (Maria Cristina Arayata)

 ?? ?? Cebu Pacific Airplane (Cebu Pacific Air FB)
Cebu Pacific Airplane (Cebu Pacific Air FB)

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