Press Release
December 17, 2021

Air Phil franchise renewal, magpapalago sa turismo—Poe

Positibo si Sen. Grace Poe na malaking tulong sa paglago ng sektor ng transportasyon at turismo ang renewal ng prangkisa ng Air Philippines Corp.

Makatutulong din ito sa pagsalag sa negatibong epekto ng mga hakbangin sa ginagawang corporate rehabilitation sa Estados Unidos sangkot ang sister company nitong Philippine Airlines (PAL).

"Naging napakahirap ng dalawang taong lumipas para sa mga airline dahil sa pagiging grounded nila sa mahabang panahon nang walang kinikita," ayon kay Poe.

Inaprubahan ng Senado sa ikatlo at pinal na pagbasa ang House Bill No. 10442 na nagbibigay sa Air Philippines Corp. ng prangkisa para makalipad muli ng 25 taon.

"Sa buong mundo, ang aviation sector ang isa sa higit na tinamaan ng umiiral na pandemya. Kailangang gawin natin ang nararapat para matulungan ang industriyang nag-eempleyo ng libo-libong Pilipino," ayon kay Poe, chairperson ng Senate public services committee at sponsor ng naturang panukalang batas.

Sa ilalim ng PAL Holdings Inc., nag-ooperate ang Air Philippines Corp. bilang PAL Express at siyang ikatlong pinakamalaking airline sa bansa. Mayroon itong 770 empleyado at sinusuportahan ang 1,600 trabaho sa mga kahalintulad na industriya.

Pangunahing sineserbisyuhan nito ang mga secondary gateway at sinusuportahan ang mga paliparan sa Clark at Kalibo.

Sa kabila ng pagbaba ng bilang ng pasahero ng 70 porsyento nitong 2020, nagawa ng Air Philippines na manatili ang operasyon sa gitna ng pagkalagas ng 32 porsyento ng mga manggagawa nito.

Patuloy na tumutulong ang Air Philippines Corp. sa pagpapauwi sa libo-libong overseas Filipino worker at mga locally stranded individual, at naghahatid ng mga personal protective equipment sa mga probinsya sa gitna ng pandemya.

"Sa franchise renewal ng Air Philippines, naisakatuparan na ng lehislatibo ang dapat nitong gawin para muli itong matayog na makalipad at maibalik ang mga tauhang nawala, gayundin lumikha ng mga bagong trabaho," saad ni Poe.

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Air Phil franchise renewal to support growth in transport, tourism—Poe

Sen. Grace Poe is optimistic that the franchise renewal of Air Philippines Corp. will support growth in the transport and tourism sectors and help buffer the negative impact of the corporate rehabilitation proceedings in the US involving its sister company, Philippine Airlines (PAL).

"The past two years had been extremely difficult for our airlines as they were grounded for a long period without income," Poe said.

The Senate approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 10442 that gives Air Philippines Corp. the franchise to fly for another 25 years.

"Globally, the aviation sector is one of the hardest hit by the ongoing pandemic. We must do our part to help an industry that employs thousands of Filipinos," said Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee and sponsor of the bill.

Under PAL Holdings Inc., Air Philippines Corp. operates as PAL Express and is the third largest airline in the country. It has 770 employees and supports another 1,600 jobs in related industries. It mainly services secondary gateways and has been supportive of government efforts in promoting such gateways as Clark and Kalibo.

While Air Philippines Corp. saw its passenger load factor decrease by 70 percent in 2020, it managed to stay in the black at the cost of laying off 32 percent of its workforce.

It has brought home thousands of overseas Filipino workers and locally stranded individuals, and delivered personal protective equipment and vaccine doses to the provinces amid the pandemic.

"With the renewal of Air Philippines' franchise, the legislative had done what it needed to do so it can fly high and rehire the people it lost and create more jobs," Poe said.

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