People may start traveling within, to and from country by flights once again, as a local aircraft carrier announces its schedule for next month, when restrictions ease amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (FILE PHOTO)

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 20) — Flights of flag carrier Philippine Airlines from Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Doha in Qatar will be rerouted to Cebu airport because of lower international passenger capacity at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In an advisory on Saturday, PAL said passengers from Dammam (PR 5687) and Doha (PR 685) on March 26 will be rerouted to Mactan Cebu International Airport.

“The rerouting to Cebu is necessary to avoid a full cancellation of your flight,” it said.

The government limited the number of international travelers entering NAIA from 3,000 to 1,500, from 8 a.m. of March 18 to 8 a.m. of April 19,

It also suspended the entry of most foreign nationals from March 22 to April 21, while entry is allowed to all Filipinos.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez earlier said limiting airport capacity would help stem control the surge in coronavirus infections.

“Nakikita rin po natin iyong variant, ito po ang isang factor. So, ngayon ang ginawa po natin dahil nakita po natin na iyong ating mga OFW at saka mga ROF at saka mayroon tayong tinatawag na mga foreigner na pumupunta po sa atin dito, so ngayon ang ginawa po natin ay hinigpitan po natin ngayon ang ating inbound passengers. So, ngayon, ini-limit po natin sa 1,500,” said Galvez in a briefing in Malacanang.

[Translation: We see that the variant is a factor. Now, what we did because we saw that our overseas Filipino workers and ROFs (returning overseas Filipinos) as well as foreigners arriving in the country, what we did is become stricter with inbound passengers. We are setting the limit to 1,500.]

Airlines were forced to cancel again their international flights.

PAL on Friday announced the cancellation of lights to Vancouver, Singapore, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Dubai, Jakarta, and Guam, among others.

Cebu Pacific in an advisory on March 17 also said its operations to Narita and Nagoya in Japan would be canceled from March 18 to April 18.