A Cebu Pacific flight that had already departed for Dubai was ordered to turn back to Manila on Saturday as the budget carrier halted select Middle East operations in response to the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Flight 5J 14, which had left Manila for Dubai on February 28, is returning to the Philippine capital and is expected to land at 10:45 PM. Its inbound counterpart, Flight 5J 15, has been cancelled. The airline also scrapped both legs of the Manila-Dubai-Manila route scheduled for March 1.
Passengers on affected flights have been notified by email and given three options through the Manage Booking portal on Cebu Pacific’s website: free rebooking for travel within 30 days of the original flight date, a Travel Fund stored in a virtual CEB wallet usable for future bookings or add-ons, or a full ticket refund. Fare differences apply for rebookings beyond the 30-day window.
The airline is extending flexible rebooking and Travel Fund conversion options to passengers who wish to voluntarily postpone travel to and from Dubai on March 2, and Riyadh on March 1 and 2. These options remain accessible up to two hours before a scheduled departure.
Cebu Pacific said it would continue reviewing its flight operations to and from the Middle East in the coming days, warning that further changes are possible as the situation remains fluid. Passengers were urged to monitor their flight status at cebupacificair.com/flight-status and keep their contact details updated to receive timely notifications.
