PAL and Cebu Pacific Cancel Middle East Flights as US-Israel Strikes Hit Iran
If you have a flight to the Middle East booked this weekend, you might want to check your status ASAP. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have canceled multiple flights to and from the region following the US and Israeli military strikes on Iran launched Saturday, February 28.
PAL scrapped several routes including Manila-Doha, Manila-Riyadh, and Manila-Dubai flights for both February 28 and March 1. Two PAL planes that had already departed Manila — PR654 bound for Riyadh and PR658 headed to Dubai — were ordered to turn around mid-flight and return to NAIA.
Cebu Pacific also pulled back its Dubai-bound Flight 5J 14 which had already left Manila, with an estimated return arrival of 10:45 PM. The return service 5J 15 and all March 1 Manila-Dubai roundtrip flights were likewise canceled.
The New NAIA Infra Corp. urged travelers to contact their airlines directly for the latest updates before heading to the airport. Passengers were reminded to keep their contact details updated to receive real-time notifications about schedule changes.
The flight disruptions come as the Philippine government monitors the safety of overseas Filipino workers in the region. President Marcos earlier assured that no Filipino casualties have been reported so far amid the escalating Middle East tensions.
Source: GMA News
