CEBU CITY, Philippines ? The Cebu Pacific has suspended all flights to and from Caticlan airport, the gateway to Boracay, after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) designated it as a one-way airport.

With the designation of Caticlan as a one-way airport, take-off would be towards the sea.

Cebu Pacific also noted that a technical re-definition shortened the runway, despite its actual length.

?We have therefore decided to divert all Caticlan flights to Kalibo instead and from there bus all our Boracay-bound passengers at no extra cost,? Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer Lance Gokongwei said in a press statement emailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Cebu Pacific has been operating direct flights to Caticlan since February 29, 2008 and has since then carried over 340,000 passengers, the company statement disclosed.

Until June 25, the company had 15 round-trip flights daily to Caticlan.

The suspension of flights would affect more than 60,000 booked passengers.

?We continue to work closely with our industry partner, the CAAP, to find a speedy resolution, to these airport issues, to allow Cebu Pacific to re-instate flights to Caticlan,? Gokongwei said.

He also maintained that Boracay remained one of the country?s most important tourism destinations.

?Cebu Pacific?s low fare service has been integral to the growth and development of the island?s tourism industry and has increased its accessibility to both local and foreign tourists,? Gokongwei added.

The airline urged affected passengers to contact its the call center at (02)702-0888/(032) 230-8888 or visit the website www.cebupacificair.com for more details and updates on their flights.