TACLOBAN CITY — The maiden flight of the Philippine Airlines to Borongan City — which was earlier scheduled on 25 November — is pushed back to a later date due to failure of the airport to comply with safety rules and regulations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Borongan City Information Office quoted City Airport Management Operations Team head Rupert Ambil — who is also the City Information Officer — that some works are still being completed at the airport and the memorandum of agreement between PAL and the city government has yet to be signed.
But the BCIO clarified that the maiden flight from Manila going to the city will definitely push through before the end of the year.
"We will have our maiden flight very soon, it's within this year, and it is still a Christmas homecoming target. We've just been pushed a little bit out of our target date which we announced, because we have to comply with the safety regulations and rules by the national agency, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and PAL," Ambil said.
"We just don't have to think about the comfort and convenience of passengers but foremost, ensuring their safe arrival and departure," he added.
The maiden flight was initially planned to ferry passengers from Manila who will participate in the National Surfing Competition scheduled from 26 November to 3 December 2022. The competition was expected to draw in at least 400 professional and recreational surfers all over the country with a P1.1 million prize money at stake.
Ambil said among the works that need to be done include the removal of obstructions such as trees and the construction of perimeter fence around the runway to ensure that nobody can cross, especially animals.
He added that the city government hopes that the inaugural flight will come before Christmas.
