Following the confirmation of suspension of Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights utilizing the Baguio Airport at Loakan, the city is now looking to find another carrier to take over the flights, according to Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Magalong said that the suspension is both due to flight diversions to the airport in Clark stemming from unfavorable weather, and the lack of active flights leading to a loss in income.
“Due to historically rainy weather (from July to November), the planes will have difficulty landing. That is the main reason why they are being redirected to Clark,” Magalong said.
According to Baguio tourism head Aloysius Mapalo, the city had been notified of PAL’s intentions to suspend flights in advance, well before the end of flights on July 1 of this year.
While the overall impact on tourism numbers from the shutdown of the flights is expected to be negligible, Mapalo said that despite the flights catering to a niche market, they intended to grow said market regardless.
As of the PAL’s most recent report, the airline had catered to a total of 12,576 Baguio and Cebu passengers in its operations.
