PAL woes worry local business groups
The Iloilo Business Club is keen on monitoring the developments on the canceled flights of the Philippine Airlines , especially in Iloilo City.
IBC Executive Director Leah Lara said the local business community wants to make sure that the problems will not affect the flow of economy and business transactions significantly.
She said potential investors were worried if their flight schedules are suddenly canceled or rescheduled just because there are not enough pilots to man the plane.
Lara said this type of problem in the aviation could send a wrong message in the business world. It is bad for business, she said. The world business community will be watching the development in the country’s air transports, she said.
Air transport is very expensive and people are mostly traveling for business purpose, Lara said. “I don’t think PAL can compensate these losses in business opportunities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lara also lauded the initiative of the national government for stepping in to address the PAL flight cancellation and its problems with their pilots.
At least 19 domestic flights were canceled since Saturday as PAL pilots resigned en mass, recently.
Eight flights were canceled on Sunday, including a Manila-Iloilo-Manila (PR147/148) route. A Manila-Iloilo-Manila flight (PR145/146) which was scheduled to depart for Iloilo at 4:20 p.m. was rescheduled to 6:30 p.m.
PAL has already apologized to the public and assured that flight schedules will return to normal immediately. PNA
