Commercial flight operations at General Santos Airport have been suspended until 6:00 p.m. on June 14, following a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Sarangani on June 8.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that the airport is currently limiting its operations strictly to humanitarian, military, and government-led flights.
“Barring any unforeseen events, commercial operations will commence on Monday, June 15,” CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio confirmed.
In light of the temporary closure, Philippine Airlines (PAL) called off all scheduled flights to and from General Santos—including its Cebu and Manila routes—from June 11 to June 14.
The flag carrier explained that the cancellations are essential for conducting critical structural and safety evaluations.
“The safety and security of our passengers, crew, and ground personnel remain our highest priority. The flight cancellations were implemented to allow for the necessary safety assessments and coordination with airport authorities following the seismic event,” PAL stated.
PAL announced that affected travelers can choose to rebook, reroute their flights through Davao within 60 days, request a full refund, or convert their ticket value into travel credits.
Meanwhile, budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) also cancelled its June 11 flights to and from the city. The airline is providing its passengers with options for refunds, free rebooking, or storing the ticket value in a virtual travel fund.
The travel disruptions come as Soccsksargen and surrounding areas grapple with continuous seismic unrest. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that the initial earthquake has generated 3,019 aftershocks as of Thursday morning.
Among these, 790 have been officially plotted, with 61 strong enough to be felt by local residents.