PHILIPPINE AIRLINES’ (PAL) running average on-time performance (OTP) was a record 92% in October while Cebu Pacific improved to 85%, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said Monday.
In a statement, DoTr said that PAL recorded “an all-time high OTP rating of 92% in October, and consistent monthly OTPs of 80%, 82% and 89% for the months of July to September, respectively.”
Citing data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), DoTr said that Cebu Pacific “posted an OTP of 84.71% for its October flights, an improvement from 80.66% in September.”
Asked to comment on PAL’s OTP rating, Captain Stanley K. Ng, PAL senior vice president for airline operations, was quoted as saying in the statement: “This achievement was made possible because the DoTr, MIAA (Manila International Airport Authority) and CAA (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) acted with determination to build rapid exit taxiways at NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport), enhance air navigation systems, renovate runways and taxiways, improve the coordination of airport slots and take other initiatives to promote a more efficient Philippine aviation industry.”
Cebu Pacific Chief Operations Officer Michael Ivan Shau said: “The improved OTP is a result of the close cooperation and coordination with concerned government agencies to minimize delays across our network. The industry is also better-coordinated so that when there are weather disruptions, such as lightning alerts that close the airfield, we are able to minimize the impact.” DoTr said Air Carriers’ Association of the Philippines (ACAP) has reported that the combined OTP of several Philippine air carriers also “increased to 78% in the July to September period of 2019, as compared to the 65% and 62% ratings, respectively, for the first two quarters” of this year.
In an effort to improve operations across all airports in the country, CAB ordered carriers in July to submit an OTP report every month.
The DoTr had also required airlines to help decongest NAIA by maximizing the use of slots and supporting regional airports.
A pledge of commitments was signed with PAL, Cebu Pacific and Philippines AirAsia in June to help improve the Manila gateway’s on-time operations. — Arjay L. Balinbin
