MANILA, Philippines — In a major move to decongest the country’s primary gateway, Cebu Pacific has announced that it will complete the transfer of all its turboprop operations out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by March 29, 2026.
Starting on that date, all turboprop flights currently operating from NAIA Terminal 2 will be relocated to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. This transition follows a directive from the Manila Slot Coordinating Committee aimed at improving air traffic flow and reducing delays at NAIA.
Affected Routes and Airlines The relocation includes all propeller-driven aircraft operations under:
- Cebgo: Flights to Coron (Busuanga) and Naga.
- AirSwift: Services to El Nido. AirSwift is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cebu Pacific.
Passengers with existing bookings affected by the move will be given options to rebook, request a refund, or convert their tickets into travel fund credits.
Boosting Jet Capacity at NAIA By removing smaller, slower-moving turboprop planes from the Manila runways, Cebu Pacific will free up valuable slots for its larger jet aircraft. This will allow the low-cost carrier to significantly increase flight frequencies on popular domestic and international routes:
- Bacolod: Increasing to 63 weekly flights (from 56).
- Cebu: Increasing to 108 weekly flights (from 98).
- Cagayan de Oro: Increasing to 69 weekly flights (from 62).
- Hong Kong: Increasing to 35 weekly flights (from 28).
- Kaohsiung: Increasing to 5 weekly flights (from 3).
Decongestion Strategy The gradual phaseout of turboprop operations at NAIA began in December 2024. While the original deadline for full removal was set for October 2025, it was subsequently moved up to late March 2026 to coincide with the start of the summer flight schedule.
The aviation industry views this move as a critical step in optimizing NAIA’s limited runway capacity, prioritizing larger aircraft that can carry more passengers per slot, while utilizing Clark as a growing secondary hub for regional and boutique destinations.