PAL resumes cargo operations at Terminal 2

Manila Standard Today
October 10, 2011

Philippine Airlines is resuming its cargo operations for all its sectors in its Manila hub, the company said over the weekend.

PAL scaled down its operations days before the implementation of an outsourcing program on Oct. 1 and after ground crews affected by the spinoff plan stopped working on Sept. 27.

Cargo operations were temporarily suspended starting Sept. 27 due to the lack of manpower at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.

“We’re now accepting cargo bookings for all international flights, including wide-body domestic flights that operate out of Terminal 2,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said in a statement.

PAL’s international cargo terminal beside Naia 2 is now accepting cargo bookings, except those operating at Terminal 3.

“It’s another concrete sign that PAL has turned the corner toward normalizing our operations after the transition phase of our outsourcing program,” Bautista said.

He said the resumption of cargo operations came a week after the flag carrier implemented a wide ranging corporate restructuring program that involved the outsourcing, among others, of PAL’s cargo operations.

He said the union’s strike caused inconvenience to passengers with flight cancellations and affected the shipment and export of perishable goods, farm produce and other vital products.

“The resumption of cargo service is a boon to freight forwarders and exporters who benefit from the flag carrier’s high-capacity, wide-body aircraft and extensive domestic and international network,” Bautista said.

Among the first to be loaded in PAL’s cargo belly are 100 boxes of bananas from ABS-CBN Davao weighing 1.5 tons shipped to ABS CBN Foundation in Manila. Carried on PR814, the non-revenue cargo was consigned to ABS CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya for distribution to flood victims in Tarlac and Calumpit, Bulacan.

PAL handled 139,284 tons in fiscal year ending March 2011 or about 382 tons daily, 9 percent higher than the previous year. Of its daily volume, about 212 tons are from its international operations and 170 tons from domestic.

From Terminal 2, PAL operates international flights of varying frequencies to 25 destinations in 14 countries and territories. It also flies from Mactan International Airport in Cebu to two international points. Jeremiah F. de Guzman