Flight delays of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have significantly dropped after the Department of Transportation ordered the daily publication of on-time performance in May.
The DOTr said PAL’s mostly average OTP improved from below 60 percent in April 2019 to nearly 80 percent in June. The running average OTP for PAL in July stood at 82 percent.
For Cebu Pacific, the OPT was 60 percent in June before improving to 77 percent in July, with peak days reaching 80 percent.
OTP rating for airports is measured by the number of departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure/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 the daily publication of OTP, which started in mid-May as ordered by Tugade, had been helpful in pushing for improved performance and promoting the airlines’ accountability to the air-riding public.
Manila International Airport Authority 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.
Local airlines and the government in June 26 airlines signed a pledge of commitment to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The airlines committed to aid in the decongestion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport through improved on-time flight performance, support the development of other gateways including Sangley Airport in Cavite and improve the travel experience of air passengers.
