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  • By Pacific island Times News Staff

Asian carriers extend flight suspension


Philippine Airlines said its international and domestic flights will resume on June 1, while Japan Airlines has continued its flight suspension until June 30. Korean Air is resuming its operations in certain routes but Guam is not among the priority destinations.

Philippine Airlines was originally scheduled to fly its international and domestic routes on May 15 but was forced to cancel all flights following the Philippine government's decision to extend the community quarantine through May 31.

However, PAL continues to carry cargo shipments to keep intact critical supply chains across the Philippines and within the Asia/Pacific region.

"We plan to resume our operations in by June 1, 2020, if the situation allows," PAL said in a statement. “We encourage passengers on cancelled flights to manage their bookings online via our website, before their scheduled travel dates."
PAL advised customers that its flight resumption plans are highly subject to change, depending on Covid-19 conditions: the duration of community quarantines, the status of travel bans and restrictions imposed by various governments and their impact on passenger demand, and above all on the public health and safety situation in each of the countries that PAL serves.
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In a separate statement, Japan Airlines said, "As we continue to fight and stay hopeful toward the dissipation of this current outbreak, let's all keep safe by abiding the provisions in place. We will continue to keep everyone informed with the latest updates. "

On May 14, Japan lifted a state of emergency in 39 out of 47 prefectures, after a sharp fall in new Covid-19 infections. The directive, however, still applies in Tokyo, Osaka and on the northern island of Hokkaido, where new cases are emerging daily.

As of May 14, Japan has 16,203 coronavirus cases, with 713 and 10,338 recovered.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan's rate of infection had reduced to one seventh of the country's peak.

"If possible, before 31 May, we would like to lift the state of emergency for the other regions as well,"Abe said.

This summer, Seoul-based Korean Air is eyeing the resumption of some currently suspended international routes starting next month. Guam is on the list of destinations, where flights remain suspended until further notice.

The Covid-19 pandemic has paralyzed the civil aviation industry due to travel restrictions as well as dip in travel demand. Significant reductions in passenger numbers has resulted in planes flying empty between airports and the cancellation of flights.

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