Philippines' low-cost carrier suspends flights to Kuwait, Riyadh and Doha

Dubai: Another Filipino airline catering to the Middle East market, this time Cebu Pacific Air, is suspending operations in some countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

The low-cost carrier, which is headquartered in Manila, Philippines and operates the Dubai route, announced on Wednesday that it is ceasing flights to and from Kuwait, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Doha in Qatar.

The suspension of flights will take effect on different dates, with the first cancellation slated for next month. The last outbound flights from Kuwait, Riyadh and Doha will be on June 14, July 3 and July 1, respectively.

“These routes are no longer viable and sustainable,” the airline said.

In a statement sent to Gulf News, the airline admitted that its business has been affected by competition in the aviation industry, especially with the aggressive expansion undertaken by other carriers.

"The entry of Cebu Pacific into these markets benefitted passengers with lower fares and more choices. Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in substantial oversupply of seats and fares that are so low, hence making the routes unsustainable," said lawyer Jr Mantaring, vice president for corporate affairs of Cebu Pacific.

"We have continuously reviewed our routes to ensure their viability. At this point, it makes more sense for us to re-deploy the aircraft for our Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where we can further stimulate demand and sustain our low fare offers."

The airline said it will continue to operate its long-haul services to and from Dubai, UAE and Sydney, Australia, hinting that it might even increase frequencies to these destinations in the future. The airline also flies to 24 other international destinations across Asia, United States, as well as 37 domestic destinations.

Passengers who have made early bookings to fly out of Doha, Kuwait and Riyadh after the last flight dates are advised to get in touch with their travel agent or the airline to discuss options.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this service suspension may cause our passengers, and hope for understanding,” the airline said on its Facebook page.

The announcement came just days after the Philippines’ flagship carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), advised passengers of the temporary cancellation of all its flights between Manila and Abu Dhabi effective July 8, 2017.  Cathay Pacific also disclosed this week that it is terminating the employment of 600 of its staff after incurring huge financial losses in 2016 due to competition.

Cebu Pacific said the affected passengers can transfer to another airline with the same route, rebook to an earlier flight or seek a refund.

The suspension of Cebu Pacific operations will affect the following destinations: