PAL, Cebu Pacific flight delays decline: DOTr

July 12, 2019

Flight delays of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have significantly declined after the Department of Transportation ( DOTr) ordered daily publication of its on-time performance ( OTP) last May. 

According to DOTr, PAL’s average  OTP improved from below 60 percent in April 2019 to nearly 80 percent in June. For July, the running average OTP for PAL is at 82 percent.

For Cebu Pacific, the OTP was  60 percent in June, flight OTP improved to 77 percent in July, with peak days reaching 80 percent.

OTP rating for airports is measured by departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure or arrival times, including cancellations.

“I thank PAL and Cebu Pacific for their efforts to improve OTP. It is my hope that this be increased, and that more and more airlines follow suit,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Airline officials said that the daily publication of OTP, which commenced in mid-May as ordered by Tugade, has been helpful in pushing for improved performance and promoting the airlines’ accountability to the air-riding public.

For his part, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal welcomed the upward trend of airline OTPs as a sign of effective collaboration and cooperation between the government and the private sector to improve aviation services for the Filipino people.

“I laud the airline operators for doing their part to give Filipinos a comfortable life through improved on-time flight performance. We shall continue in this direction as we work on a number of solutions to decongest the NAIA,” Monreal said.

Last June 26, local airlines and the government signed a pledge of commitment to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). 

Under the commitment, airlines pledged to improve on-time flight performance, support development of other gateways including Sangley Airport in Cavite, and improve travel of passengers. 

“I can confirm that our participation in the Pledge of Commitment really helped improve our OTP,” PAL Vice President for Flight Operations Stanley Ng said. 

“Coordinated and concerted efforts from all stakeholders resulted in OTP improvement at the NAIA, and we will remain in cooperation with the government under the Pledge of Commitment to ease the travel of the public,” Cebu Pacific Chief Operations Officer Michael Ivan Shau said. DMS