Flights cancelled, ships grounded

AIRPORT operations remained uninterrupted at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) yesterday despite the cancellation of at least seven Cebu Pacific flights because of threats by typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit).

The airport website shows that flights from Cebu to Tacloban, Butuan, Surigao, Siargao and Tandag  were cancelled as of  noon yesterday.

Eight more Cebu Pacific flights scheduled today from Cebu, Butuan, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban were also cancelled.

AirAsia Zest for its part is giving their passengers an option to “modify” their flight schedules.  But there will be no flight cancellations for them.

GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) which manages the MCIA passenger terminal said it is also taking precautions in the event that Ruby would affect airport operations.

The contractor said in a press statement that they are preparing 300 sleeping mats for stranded passengers. Doctors and nurses from Prime Care were also tapped to augment MCIA’s medical team to provide emergency medical services to  passengers.

At Cebu’s port area, all gates and passenger terminals were closed since yesterday as sea travels going in and out of Cebu were suspended.

Commercial vessels as well as patrol boats of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were  transferred to a safe harbor away from the typhoon’s path.

Rear Admiral William Melad, deputy commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said that most of the vessels are now in the port of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte.

Yusop Uckung, Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) deputy general manager said there were 30 stranded passengers as of Thursday night.

¨They were brought to the evacuation center provided by the Cebu City Government located at Carbon,¨ Uckung told CDN.