Despite turbulent March, PAL keeps flights punctual

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April 13, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) managed to remain one of the most punctual operators in Asia-Pacific in March despite flight disruptions due to the Middle East crisis.

Based on data from aviation consultancy Cirium, PAL turned in an on-time rate of 83.41 percent in March, making it the region’s eighth most punctual airline.

However, this is the lowest ranking PAL has earned so far this year, as it landed fourth in January and fifth in February.

March marked a period of uncertainty for hundreds of airlines around the globe, including PAL. Carriers flying to the Middle East, such as PAL, canceled multiple flights to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, as hostilities escalated following US-Israel strikes on Iran.

PAL’s completion factor – Cirium’s measure of operational reliability –reached 97.69 percent in March. PAL has always stayed in the 98- to 99-percent levels like in February (98.75 percent),  with March proving to be challenging as shown by the data.

Flag carrier Singapore Airlines registered an on-time rate of 88.32 percent in March to eclipse all Asian airlines in the punctuality contest.

South Korean carriers T’way Air, Jeju Air and Korean Air followed suit, posting on-time rates of 88.11 percent, 87.01 percent and 85.84 percent, respectively.

Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines came fifth with 85.55 percent, Garuda Indonesia went sixth with 84.02 percent, as All Nippon Airways ended up seventh with 83.78 percent.

The bright spot for aviation is that Iran and the US agreed to a temporary ceasefire for two weeks to make way for diplomatic talks. For PAL, this has given it elbow room to resume direct flights to Riyadh, taking a different course to avoid high-risk corridors.

However, PAL suspended Manila services to Doha and Dubai until May 31, erring on the side of safety as the Middle East is still struggling with airspace disruptions. PAL is the country’s largest carrier operating in the Middle East, offering direct flights to Doha, Dubai and Riyadh.

Cirium said March turned out to be one of the most difficult periods for airlines in recent history, as global flight cancellations doubled on a monthly basis.

Flight disruptions in Asia-Pacific went up by 72 percent to 19,903 in March, from 11,579 in February, according to Cirium.