Philippines

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said that local airlines may look for an alternative option which does not require government approval, instead of pursuing their proposal for the terminal enhancement fee. CAB Executive Director said that they might be looking to increase the fares or partly absorb the fee. Local airlines, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines, requested CAB approval to impose a terminal enhancement fee at Ninoy Aquino International Airport to cover higher charges at the airport

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) signed an agreement with Thailand to allow local carriers like AirAsia Philippines to continue to operate through a 3rd country code-sharing agreement under the newly amended air service agreement between the Philippines and Thailand. CAB Executive Director added that Philippines AirAsia is a fully foreign-owned airline, but it is still considered a local airline. The previous agreement was limited only to locally owned airlines

Airports in the Philippines are preparing to welcome a higher volume of passengers during the Undas holiday. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is expected to welcome 1.35 million passengers between 25 Oct to 3 Nov, slightly higher than the 1.3 million recorded in 2024. The Police will deploy Special Operations Unit (SOU) teams and K-9 units across NAIA terminals for security. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is expecting 5.8 million passengers across 44 CAAP-operated airports, a 7%-10% YoY increase

Sunlight Air received a new ATR 72-600 aircraft on 3 Oct and commenced its commercial operations on 26 Oct, with routes linking Clark, Siargao, Cebu, and Busuanga. The aircraft model has a capacity of 68 passengers, instead of the usual 72, and it produces lower carbon emissions. Sunlight Air will launch flights to Siquijor from 15 Dec, with 4 weekly flights from Cebu, the first direct connection between the two islands

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines welcomed the first flight by Russia’s Iraero Airlines, from Irkutsk, Russia to Kalibo, Aklan from 25 Oct. The airline will offer 2 flights per week

Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched Cebu-Calbayog flight on 26 Oct with 4 flights per week

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will add frequencies and increase capacities for its international flights from mid-Dec 2025 and mid-Jan 2026 for the holiday season. Manila-Perth flights will be increased from 3 to 6 weekly Manila-Melbourne flights will increase from 5 per week to daily PAL will deploy Airbus A330 for selected Manila-Brisbane flights, A330 for Melbourne, and A321neo for Perth Manila-Seattle flights, from 3 to 5 times per week Manila-Danang flights from 3 weekly to daily and Manila-Busan from 7 weekly to 11, from 26 Oct 2025 to 28 Mar 2026 Manila-Sapporo, 3 weekly flights from 24 Nov to 27 Mar Manila-Narita, Tokyo, will add 12 weekly flights in addition to its existing 2 daily flights, from 28 Dec 2025 to 6 Jan 2026 Manila-Osaka, will add 12 weekly flights in addition to its existing 2 daily flights, from 19 Dec 2025 to 7 Jan 2026 Manila-Nagoya, additional 3 flights on top of daily flights on 25 Dec, 27 Dec, and 3 Jan Cebu-Osaka, will add 5 flights in addition to its existing 4 weekly flights, from 25 Dec to 3 Jan Cebu-Narita, 4 flights in addition to daily flights from 28 Dec to 7 Jan

AirAsia Philippines will adopt Combo Units in Ninoy Aquino International Airport as part of its commitment to decarbonising aviation efforts. Combo Units, combined air conditioning and ground power units, will allow for significant fuel efficiency and carbon emissions reduction at the airport. This technology will be introduced after a successful rollout in Malaysia. The Combo Units will reduce reliance on the auxiliary power unit (APU) for aircraft, and are expected to cut ground emissions by up to 90%. Two Combo Units are expected to reduce 1,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. AirAsia Philippines’ fuel efficiency program has helped save 3,851 tn of fuel and avoided 12,169 tn of CO2 emissions in 2024. AirAsia Philippines’ CO2 per available kilometre (CO2/ASK) dropped by 1.2g to 73.9g, while CO2 per revenue passenger kilometre (CO2/RPK) dropped by 3.1g to 82.8g, due to higher load factor

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reported that several domestic flights were cancelled due to Typhoon Fengshen, impacting 2,882 passengers

Philippine Airlines will trial AI technology with a Gen A-powered voice agent that can handle up to 80% of tasks performed by their live agents, including checking flight status, rebooking or cancelling tickets. PAL expects that it will automate 50-70% of its enquiries, and that by March 2026, they should achieve “super AI agent status”, handling email, chat and voice. Since its Jun launch, it has seen a 45% deflection of its enquiries resolved with no human intervention. It is also developing a platform that can consolidate all customer data to create targeted offers

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expected to receive its order of Airbus A350 aircraft by Dec 2025 or Jan 2026. Previously in May, PAL said they expect the delivery of 9 Airbus A350 and 13 A321 New Engine Option (NEO) aircraft, which will be deployed for direct flights to New York. PAL will launch flights to Cebu-Guam, Cebu-Calbayog, and increase flights from Cebu-Siargao and Cebu-Busuanga

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will also refurbish its older fleet of long-range aircraft for an estimated $315 million USD. The refurbishment will involve Airbus A321ceos. PAL President said they might invest at least $15 million to refurbish its 11 Airbus A330S and 10 Boeing 777s. He said refurbishment for A330s and 777s would be challenging as the demand for parts is higher. PAL is not planning to launch flights to Europe, since Filipinos prefer flights with transit options

Airbus expects to receive 110 aircraft orders from Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines. Airbus estimates that the travel market in the Philippines will record 7% yearly growth over the next 20 years, outpacing 5% growth for the Asia Pacific and 3% for worldwide growth. Cebu Pacific Chief Commercial Officer asked the government to build more airports to add new gateways and expand the existing ones

AirAsia will increase its flights to tourist destinations and cities outside Metro Manila for the All Saints’ Day holiday. Flights to Caticlan will increase from 46 to 54 times per week To Cebu, from 47 to 56 times per week To Iloilo from 28 to 32 Tacloban from 24 to 26 Tagbilaran from 21 to 24 Puerto Princesa from 20 to 21 Kalibo from 17 to 19 Cagayan de Oro from 14 to 16

Philippine Airlines (PAL) CEO asked the government and private partners during the 2025 Philippine Aviation Summit to draft a Unified National Airport Masterplan. He said the master plan has to outline the role of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. In 2024, the Philippines recorded 60 million passengers in its primary and secondary airports. But, this is lower compared to Indonesia’s 156 million, Thailand’s 119 million, Vietnam’s 109 million, Malaysia’s 94 million and Singapore’s 68 million

Vietnam Airlines will launch direct flights between Hanoi and Cebu from 1 Dec with 3 flights per week. The service will increase the total weekly flights between Vietnam and the Philippines to 12

Philippine Airlines’ first direct flights to Guam from Cebu is expected to strengthen tourism, business, and cultural ties. The flight service will start on 16 Dec, with 3 flights per week. 30% of Guam’s 179,000 residents are Filipinos

Philippine Airlines (PAL) Aviation School has sent 14 pilots to train in Gold Coast, Australia, as part of its partnership with Airways Aviation. PAL is expected to receive 9 Airbus A350 aircraft between 2025 and 2028. PAL is scheduled to receive 13 Airbus A321neo from 2026

Air India has launched India’s first non-stop flight between Manila to Delhi, India from 2 Oct

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) extended its Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) covering flights near Taal Volcano in Batangas until 3 Oct, after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported 2 additional eruptions at the volcano. The volcano remains under Alert Level 1

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) continued to operate as usual following an inspection that found there was no damage after the earthquake on 30 Sep. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that other airports in the 3 regions in the Visayas were not damaged. The epicentre of the earthquake was detected in Bogo City, Northern Cebu. Passengers were evacuated from the MCIA terminal immediately after the earthquake, but were later allowed back in after an assessment. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flights landed safely at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental province after inspections were made of the runway following the quake