Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18) — Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the government is exploring ways to make airline operations “viable,” as he stressed carriers continue to suffer due to present travel rules.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines, and budget airlines Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines met with government officials two days ago to discuss measures aimed at reviving their businesses, Concepcion said during a virtual briefing Saturday.
“Right now, the mobility of tourism is kinda restricted… We have to make sure our airlines are viable,” he said.
Concepcion warned that if the government will continue to implement stringent travel restrictions, airlines may be forced to shut down their operations.
If this were to happen, a negative domino effect will hit the tourism sector given the country’s archipelagic state, he added.
“We have no choice but to save our airlines sector,” Concepcion said.
He also said airlines wanted the quarantine period for incoming travelers to be cut from 10 days to seven days.
Concepcion earlier called for travel requirements to be eased, especially for domestic trips. Expensive COVID-19 testing and long quarantine periods for international passengers have been considered as problems for travelers.
On Friday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said the department is studying the strategy of the Thai government in opening Phuket Island to fully vaccinated foreign tourists while also dropping quarantine rules.
“This is the group that we’re trying to help kasi (because) they’re in danger right now, the way I see it of business viability,” Concepcion said.
Airlines have been bleeding financially, losing billions of pesos in revenues since the pandemic started last year.
Just this month, PAL sought bankruptcy protection in the US, allowing the flag carrier to continue its operations while under restructuring.
READ: Philippine Airlines files for bankruptcy protection as COVID continues to drain financials
