Cebu Pacific completing turboprop exit from NAIA by March

MANILA, Philippines –Cebu Pacific expects to complete the transfer of all its turboprop operations out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by March. This is part of efforts to ease congestion at the country’s primary gateway.

The Gokongwei-led low-cost carrier announced on Thursday that, effective March 29, all turboprop flights will operate from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. 

The move covers Cebgo flights to Coron (Busuanga) and Naga as well as El Nido services by operated by AirSwift. The latter is a wholly owned Cebu Pacific subsidiary. These routes are currently served from NAIA Terminal 2.  

READ: Cebu Pacific transfers more turboprop flights to Clark

Passengers with existing bookings will be given options to rebook, seek refunds or convert tickets into travel fund credits, the airline said. 

Weekly flights to increase

Cebu Pacific said the transfer will free up slots at NAIA. This will enable the firm to increase the frequency of several routes from Manila to meet rising demand. 

These include flights to Bacolod, which will increase to 63 weekly from 56; Butuan to 46 from 39; Cagayan de Oro to 69 from 62; and Cebu to 108 from 98. 

International services will also expand. The number of flights to Hong Kong will rise to 35 weekly from 28. The Kaohsiung route will operate five times a week, up from three. 

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Cebu Pacific’s turboprop exit follows a directive from the Manila Slot Coordinating Committee. The panel ordered a gradual phaseout of turboprop operations at NAIA beginning December 2024. This is meant to improve air traffic flow and reduce congestion. 

The phaseout was originally scheduled to be completed by October 2025. The deadline was moved up to March 29, 2026.