Twin weather systems lingering north of Luzon forced at least 27 Philippine flights to be cancelled on July 25, disrupting travel at the height of the rainy season. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the cancellations, largely on domestic routes but also one Osaka-to-Manila service, follow heavy monsoon rains and gusty winds whipped up by Typhoons Dante (international name Francisco) and Emong. PAGASA bulletins show Emong packing top sustained winds of about 53 mph and Dante around 47 mph as both storms moved north of Batanes yet continued to amplify the southwest monsoon across much of the archipelago.
Key Points
- Why it matters: At least 27 cancellations affect domestic connectivity and one trans-Pacific link just as peak tourism resumes.
- CAAP lists 12 Philippine Airlines and 15 Cebu Pacific flights scrubbed, with Laoag, Tuguegarao, Basco, and Cebu among the hardest-hit routes.
- PAGASA warns of gale-force gusts and up to 5.5-meter seas around northern Luzon; small craft advised to remain in port.
- Manila, CALABARZON, and Western Visayas face monsoon downpours through July 27, potentially triggering further travel disruption.
- Affected passengers may rebook, reroute, or refund tickets without penalties, according to airline advisories.
Snapshot
CAAP's 9 a.m. bulletin counted 27 cancellations, including Philippine Airlines flight PR 407 (Osaka-Manila) and multiple Laoag and Tuguegarao sectors. Cebu Pacific grounded services to Davao, Cebu, Cauayan, and other provincial hubs. No foreign carriers reported schedule changes at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, but ground handlers said turnaround times lengthened because of lightning alerts. PAGASA retains Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 over Batanes and Babuyan Islands and Signal No. 1 for Ilocos Norte, Apayao, and Cagayan, with gusts up to 54 mph possible. Maritime authorities have also hoisted Gale Warning No. 6 for northern seaboards, stranding inter-island ferries.
Background
Dante entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on July 23 as a Tropical Storm, exited early July 24, and now sits roughly 390 miles north of Itbayat. Emong brushed close to the Babuyan Channel on July 24 before accelerating north-northeast at 25 mph; both systems remain outside PAR but continue to enhance the southwest monsoon, known locally as the habagat. The habagat historically fuels some of the country's worst flooding. In 2023 it caused ₱2.6 billion in infrastructure damage; this year's government outlay for flood-control projects tops ₱255 billion. July is also the nation's fifth-busiest air-travel month, averaging 2.4 million domestic passengers. Weather-related cancellations therefore ripple quickly through local tourism economies, from Laoag's heritage sites to Cebu's resort corridor.
Latest Developments
Airlines roll out flexible options
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific activated fee-free rebooking, refund, and travel-fund credits for affected customers. Hotline wait times averaged 20 minutes by midday, and carrier apps pushed real-time notifications. PAL said it would prioritize repatriating passengers holding connections to North America within 24 hours once conditions improve. Cebu Pacific repositioned spare aircraft to Clark International Airport to speed recovery flying when wind warnings ease. Both airlines urged travelers to monitor social-media advisories rather than converge on terminals, citing limited seating and ongoing lightning-alert stoppages for ramp crews.
Storm track remains unsettled
PAGASA's 5 p.m. advisories place Emong 186 miles north of Itbayat with 53 mph sustained winds, forecast to weaken into a depression by July 27. Dante, already downgraded, lingers farther north but continues to funnel moisture toward Luzon, Metro Manila, and Western Visayas. Forecast models keep both systems west of Okinawa by July 28, yet the monsoon tail could dump 4-6 inches of rain on central Luzon through Sunday, the state weather bureau said. Aviation observers caution additional cancellations are likely if cross-winds at Laoag or Basco exceed aircraft limits of 37 mph during landing windows.
Analysis
The 27-flight tally may appear modest beside Thursday's 70 cancellations, yet Friday's disruptions hit thinner provincial corridors where alternative transport is scarce. Laoag, Tuguegarao, and Basco rely on single daily links to Manila; grounding even one round-trip erases 100 percent of capacity and strands medical referrals, government workers, and tourists seeking remote beaches. The timing is doubly fraught: July straddles local school holidays and the North American balikbayan surge, compressing demand into brief clear-weather windows. Airlines must juggle crew-duty limits and aircraft positioning after two days of weather holds. For U.S. travelers using Manila as a regional hub, onward flights to Palawan or Bohol could face knock-on delays despite clear skies at destinations, underscoring the monsoon's network-wide reach. Infrastructure resilience also remains a concern. NAIA's primary Runway 06/24 often closes during heavy rain for rubber clearing, leaving a single strip to handle 40-plus movements per hour, elevating stack times and fuel burn. Long-promised upgrades-additional high-speed exits, Category IIIB ILS, and the new Bulacan airport-cannot arrive soon enough for an industry now contending with climate-driven volatility.
Final Thoughts
Typhoons Dante and Emong illustrate how storms well outside the PAR can still cripple domestic Air Travel by amplifying the habagat. Travelers bound for the Philippines through late July should build buffer days into itineraries, monitor airline alerts, and consider travel-insurance policies that cover weather-related interruptions. As monsoon patterns grow less predictable, Philippine flight cancellations will likely remain a recurrent summer headline, underscoring the value of flexible bookings and real-time planning tools for anyone chasing the archipelago's famed islands. Philippine flight cancellations may be fewer than Thursday's wave, but the operational aftershocks will linger through the weekend.