Filipino carriers Cebu Pacific Air (5J, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) and Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) are gradually scaling back turboprop operations at Manila Ninoy Aquino International as part of a government mandate to phase out such flights by March 2026.
Philippine Airlines disclosed earlier this month that it would shift more of its regional operations to Cebu and Angeles City Clark International. Its regional subsidiary PAL Express (2P, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) has already moved Manila-Basco flights to Clark, increasing frequencies to 2x daily from October. A new Cebu-Calbayog service will replace the Manila route. Manila flights to Del Carmen (Siargao) and Busuanga will continue, albeit with reduced frequencies. At the same time, Manila-San José McGuire and Manila-Catarman services will be retained through the winter season as no alternative hub operations are available.
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific, through subsidiary Cebgo (DG, Manila Ninoy Aquino International), will cut Manila-Naga from 2x to 1x daily from late October while inaugurating Clark-Naga as a replacement. It also plans to launch Clark-San Jose, replacing an A320-200 service from Manila.
According to ch-aviation data, Cebgo will continue to deploy ATR72-600s from Manila to Busuanga, Caticlan, and Naga during the winter season, with fewer frequencies. PAL Express will retain its DHC-8-Q400 flights from Manila to Busuanga, Catarman, and Siargao until the March deadline.
Boutique carrier AirSWIFT (T6, Manila Ninoy Aquino International), which Cebu Pacific recently acquired, will continue to operate ATR42-600 and ATR72-600 services from Manila and El Nido until the mandate takes effect.
In total, four scheduled passenger operators deploy 43 turboprops in the Philippines - AirSWIFT, Cebgo, PAL Express, and Sunlight Air, comprising ATR - Avions de Transport Régional and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada aircraft, according to the ch-aviation fleets module.
ch-aviation has contacted Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines for comment on their turboprop fleet strategies post-March 2026.
The Manila Slot Coordination Committee (MSCC), an inter-agency body managing slot allocations, initially set the deadline for the end of turboprop operations at Manila for October 2025 but has since postponed it to March 2026 to allow operators to “manage and mitigate the impact of such transfer, and address logistical and informational challenges.” The policy frees up constrained slots at Manila for larger aircraft types.
