The Philippine Airlines announced on Friday that it will reduce the number of flights to and from Taipei because of the continuing slowdown in travel demand caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak.
"Due to a continuing slowdown in travel demand between Manila and Taipei amid COVID-19 concerns, PAL is compelled to operate a reduced number of flights to and from Taipei from March 7 to March 28, 2020," the PAL management said in a statement.
From March 7 to March 28, PAL's flights PR 890 / 891 Manila-Taipei-Manila (Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday) were already canceled.
The same flights but with the scheduled slated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays will be operational on the same period.
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding and kind cooperation," the airline management stated.
On Feb. 10, the government lifted the travel ban in Taiwan.
This after the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines asked the government to reconsider its decision and remove Taiwan from the travel ban, which was enforced by the Bureau of Immigration for five days.
Major commercial carriers like PAL and Cebu Pacific Air resumed their flight operations to and from Taiwan but PAL later decided to reduce its flight service operations.
The Philippines at the moment is implementing a travel ban to foreign nationals coming from China and its Special Administrative Regions which are Hong Kong and Macau, and some areas in South Korea. Only Filipinos and permanent resident visa holders are allowed to enter the country from said areas.