Seventeen flights to and from General Santos International Airport were cancelled on Monday after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Maasim, Sarangani, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).
Of the affected flights, eight were inbound to General Santos, while nine were departing for destinations including Manila, Cebu and Iloilo. The disrupted services were operated by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and PAL Express.
Caap issued a Notice to Airmen (Notam), a safety advisory informing pilots and flight operators of temporary hazards or operational restrictions. The advisory was in effect from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In a separate advisory, PAL warned that customer support services may experience delays after one of its Mindanao facilities temporarily ceased operations following the earthquake.
‘If you are not traveling within the next 48 hours and your request is not urgent, we kindly ask that you contact us at a later time so we can prioritize customers with immediate travel needs,’ the flag carrier said.
The affected flights were:
Cebu Pacific (11 flights)
5J4843 – Iloilo to General Santos
5J4844 – General Santos to Iloilo
5J998 – General Santos to Manila
5J993 – Manila to General Santos
5J994 – General Santos to Manila
5J995 – Manila to General Santos
5J996 – General Santos to Manila
5J249 – Cebu to General Santos
5J250 – General Santos to Cebu
5J991 – Manila to General Santos
5J992 – General Santos to Manila
PAL Express (4 flights)
2P2357 – CEB-GES
2P2358 – GES-CEB
2P2455 – MNL-GES
2P2456 – GES-MNL
Philippine Airlines (2 flights)
PR453 – MNL-GES
PR454 – GES-MNL
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. on June 8. Its epicenter was located 32 kilometers south 4 degrees west of Maasim, Sarangani, at a depth of 33 kilometers.
The strong tremor, which lasted about 30 seconds in Koronadal City, disrupted internet, electricity, and water services in parts of the city and nearby areas.