Dubai: A Philippine-bound Cebu Pacific flight was cancelled on Monday due to the aircraft needing additional technical servicing to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew, the budget carrier said.
The cancelled Dubai-Manila flight scheduled for July 1 departure resulted in a 24-hour delay for hundreds of passengers.
“Cebu Pacific flight 5J 015 Dubai-Manila scheduled to depart yesterday, July 1, 2019 required additional technical servicing discovered during a routine ground check. As a result, it was necessary for further maintenance to be done in the interest of safety,” the budget carrier said in an advisory sent to Gulf News.
The carrier, however, clarified that the passengers were accommodated and cared for.
“Affected passengers are being assisted by our ground personnel at the Dubai International Airport with all basic necessities and hotel accommodation. Passengers with limited visa are being provided airport lounge access in the airport,” the advisory read.
“Rest assured we are trying to resolve this situation during this peak travel period. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and appeal for your understanding.”
Priority
Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific said all the 431 affected passengers of its cancelled July 1 Manila-bound flight will be flown home tonight (July 2) at 11.25pm.
“For tonight's (July 2) flight, we have prioritised the disrupted passengers of the July 1 flight. But we are still making efforts to try to contact other airlines to accommodate the other [July 2] passengers who will be affected,” Charo Lagamon, Corporate Communications Director at Cebu Pacific, told Gulf News in an interview from Manila.
“The aircraft is grounded and is currently being fixed by our mechanics on the ground in Dubai. Since the flight cancellation, we have exerted all efforts to assist all the affected passengers. Majority of the passengers were able to exit the airport. Some of them went home while the rest were given hotel accommodations.”
Lagamon said they have been trying to book flights available on other airlines to help the affected passengers but have had no luck as all Manila-bound flights are full due to the peak holiday season.
