Commercial Flights to Zambo Resume

After closing for 10 days, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued a notice to airman (Notam) to reopen Zamboanga international airport starting Thursday. This means that commercial flights to Zamboanga City can resume on Thursday. The airport was closed since September 9 when MNLF elements attacked the city resulting in a 10-day hostilities with government troops.

In a statement, CAAP the lifted the notice to airman (Notam) which suspended the commercial operations until Sept. 21 as the security situation at the Zamboanga International Airport starts to improve, Gma news online said.

CAAP Director General William K. Hotchkiss lll told reporters the government has authorized two commercial flights starting Thursday – one each for PAL Express and Cebu Pacific, and two each on Friday.

Captain John C. Andrews, CAAP Deputy Director General, will be on-board to oversee the first flight from NAIA to Zamboanga on Thursday, Hotchkiss said.

The Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific cited last Friday a CAAP order extending the closure of the Zamboanga airport because of security concerns in the city and the cancellation of flights of both carriers until Sept. 21, Gma news online said.

Hotchkiss and Andrews boarded on Tuesday a private plane of PAL president Ramon Ang and flew to Zamboanga for an assessment of the situation and consultation with the Crisis Committee in the area.

Zamboanbga City mayor Beng Climaco said the city will rise from the crisis it still has to fully exit from.

Source: Gma news tv, Gma news online