ANTIQUE – Senator Loren Legarda expressed concern over the future of the Antique Airport in San Jose de Buenavista following the planned suspension of flights starting March 29, after the lone airline servicing the route announced changes in its operations.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) recently announced that it will reroute all its turboprop flights via Manila to Cebu, Clark, and Iloilo beginning March 29, in line with a resolution of the Manila Slot Coordination Committee to gradually phase out turboprop operations at the country’s main gateway.
In an advisory, PAL said passengers with existing bookings will be rerouted to its alternative hubs to ensure continued connectivity while complying with updated regulatory requirements.
Under the revised operations, flights to and from Busuanga (Coron) and Siargao will be relocated to Clark, Catarman flights will be routed via Cebu, while flights to and from Antique will be redirected through Iloilo. As a result, Antique will temporarily have no direct commercial flights.
PAL added that domestic jet services between Manila and high-demand routes will be increased starting March. These include Manila–Cebu with up to 76 weekly flights, Manila–Dumaguete with up to 21, Manila–Iloilo with up to 42, Manila–Roxas with up to 14, and Manila–Tacloban with up to 28 flights weekly.
During a Senate committee hearing this week, Legarda described the situation as ironic, noting that Antique Airport was inaugurated only two weeks ago.
“One of the destinations which will not have any flight is Antique, and it’s ironic that the airport was just inaugurated two weeks ago,” Legarda said.
She recalled that the airport project began in 2015 during the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino Jr. and was completed only in 2026. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of the Antique Airport Development Projects on January 19.
“Here, you have a place that has been deprived of an airport, and after 10 years, a new airport has been inaugurated, and then there are zero flights until such time that the runway is available for a jet,” Legarda added.
The senator also compared the situation with Caticlan Airport in Malay, Aklan, which continues to operate flights despite having a runway length similar to that of Antique Airport.
Legarda said she is pushing for the establishment of a Clark–Antique flight and has written to the airline concerned to address the issue./PN
