Air Busan flights to Boracay suspended

By Bahk Eun-ji

Travelers and local airlines have been bewildered by the Philippine government's sudden banning of charter flight services to the country's famous resort island of Boracay.

According to Air Busan and tour agencies here, Tuesday, the Philippine government sent an official statement to a number of international airlines the previous day to say it was revoking permission for all charter flights to the Island immediately. The targeted airlines are those that did not fly to Boracay during last winter, and Air Busan is the only Korean carrier included on the list.

The Philippine government announced Monday it would suspend all non-scheduled flights to Boracay. In Korea, Air Busan is subject to the ban. / Korea Times file

According to an Air Busan official, it was notified of the ban last Friday.

“Our staffers visited the country's aviation office to negotiate over the ban Friday, but we received official notification from the Philippine government on Monday,” the official said.

“We asked for a two-week grace period, so we can bring tourists who flew there on our flights back to Korea. But the request was denied.”

Travelers who were planning to come back to Busan from Boracay on Monday on an Air Busan flight will fly back to Busan with AirAsia Zest, a Philippine budget carrier.

“The Philippine government did not even clarify the reason for this suspension, but we assumed it is related to the closure of the island last year in order to protect the environment.”

Air Busan has been operating fights to the island between Busan and Boracay every Monday and Friday since April. With the ban, its plan to run regular flight on the route is also likely to fall through.

Customers who purchased package programs from tour agencies here or flight tickets will either be provided a full refund or can change their travel plans to visit nearby islands such as Cebu or Bohol, the official said.

But the official said Air Busan has no plans to file a complaint against the Philippine government over losses resulting from flight cancellations.

The Philippine government closed the holiday island to tourists for a six-month cleanup from April last year, due to the effects of over-tourism. After its re-opening last October, it allowed only 19,000 tourists to visit at a time.