UAE carriers reduce capacity on Manila flights

Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline have announced temporary capacity restrictions for flights to Manila.

The move is in response to the Philippine government's decision to introduce a cap on traveller numbers at Manila's international airport.

In a statement to ARN News, Etihad Airways said it is temporarily restricting the number of passengers carried between Abu Dhabi and Manila from March 18 until April 18.

"We will work closely with impacted guests and travel agents to notify them of the changes to their itineraries and re-accommodate them on alternative flights,", it added.

Emirates Airline also confirmed that flights from Dubai to Manila would operate with a reduced capacity until April 18.

"Our flights from Dubai to Manila, Clark and Cebu are operating as scheduled, however, for flights to Manila, capacity is restricted until 18 April, subject to review by the authorities," an Emirates spokesperson told ARN News.

"Our outbound flights from the three points in the Philippines remain unaffected. All of our customers are important to us, and while we cannot accommodate all with their preferred flight schedule, we are working hard to minimise disruption as much as possible," the airline added.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said its flight frequencies between Dubai and Manila will remain the same and will be unaffected by the Philippine government’s recent directive to limit international arrivals to 1,500 passengers per day until April 18.