Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have extended their suspension of flights to major Gulf destinations, with both carriers citing safety concerns for passengers and crew as the primary basis for the continued groundings.
PAL’s cancellations cover the Manila-Doha, Manila-Dubai, and Manila-Riyadh routes across six consecutive days. The Doha-Manila service PR 685 is pulled from March 11 through 16, while the Manila-Doha flight PR 684 is cancelled on March 11, 12, 14, and 15. The Dubai roundtrip PR 658/659 and Riyadh roundtrip PR 654/655 are both grounded on March 12, 14, and 15.
“Affected passengers may avail of rebooking or refund options in accordance with PAL policies,” PAL said, urging travelers to check flight status through its website, mobile app, or official social media channels before going to the airport.
Cebu Pacific has likewise suspended Dubai and Riyadh services. On March 11, flights 5J 14/15 and 5J 18/19 on the Manila-Dubai-Manila route were cancelled alongside the Manila-bound 5J 740 to Riyadh. The return leg, 5J 741 from Riyadh to Manila, was also grounded on March 12.
“CEB will continue to assess its flight operations to and from the Middle East. As this remains a developing situation, further schedule adjustments may be necessary,” the airline said, adding that free rebooking and travel fund conversion are available for passengers with Dubai and Riyadh bookings through March 18.
As commercial routes remain disrupted, the Department of Migrant Workers has been arranging both charter and commercial flights to bring OFWs home. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that 16 workers from Israel made their way overland to the southern town of Eilat before crossing into Egypt through the Taba border.
“16 OFWs from Tel Aviv (Israel) traveled by land to the southern Israel town of Eilat, which borders Egypt via the Taba border crossing. These 16 OFWs cross the Egyptian border and will take the Cairo to Muscat to Manila flight with ETA Manila on March 11, 9:30 pm, Philippine time,” Castro said.
The DMW has also secured Emirates airline seats out of Dubai for UAE-based OFWs and their dependents. For those in Saudi Arabia, a Riyadh departure is being arranged with the earliest expected flight on March 14. Repatriation costs are being drawn from the emergency fund of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Over 400 Filipinos have returned home since tensions in the region escalated, with the government continuing to arrange outbound options as the situation develops.
