PH’s 2019-nCoV Travel Ban Expands to Taiwan, Effective Immediately

Image credit: Daiywuem Cizpeould

On 10 Feb 2020, the Philippine government expanded the travel ban amid the 2019-nCoV outbreak to include Taiwan along with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao. Starting 11 Feb, local airlines have cancelled flights to and from Taiwan, effective immediately and indefinitely. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia have already made official announcements regarding flight cancellations.

In addition, China Airlines and EVA Air will be cancelling selected flights between Manila and Taiwan starting 12 Feb. Tigerair Taiwan has also announced that they will be cancelling round-trip flights between the Philippines and Taiwan beginning 15 Feb.

Also read: Local Airlines Suspend Flights to China, Hong Kong & Macao Amid Virus Outbreak

PAL’s cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

• PR890 Manila-Taipei
• PR 981 Taipei-Manila
• PR894 Manila-Taipei
• PR895 Taipei-Manila

According to PAL’s official statement, passengers whose flights have been cancelled may refund their tickets at any time, with refund fees waived. Once the travel ban is lifted and the airline’s flights to Taiwan have been reinstated, passengers may rebook, reroute, or refund their tickets within the appropriate validity period; additional fees will be waived.

Cebu Pacific’s cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

• 5J 310 Manila-Taipei
• 5J 311 Taipei-Manila
• 5J 312 Manila-Taipei
• 5J 313 Taipei-Manila

In accordance with Cebu Pacific’s official announcement, passengers of the affected flights have already been notified about the cancellations. They have the options to rebook their flights, get their tickets refunded, or store the value of their tickets for future use.

AirAsia’s cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

Flights from Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Kalibo to Taipei and Kaohsiung (and vice versa) are cancelled until further notice.

AirAsia passengers whose flights have been cancelled may choose from several options: Avail of a one-time flight change to a new travel date within 30 days after 29 Mar 2020 without any additional charges; have their ticket values credited to their AirAsia BIG Loyalty accounts and redeem them within 90 days of the original booking; get a full refund.

China Airlines’ cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

• CI701 Taipei-Manila
• CI702 Manila-Taipei
• CI711 Kaohsiung-Manila
• CI712 Manila-Kaohsiung

Most of China Airlines’ round-trip flights between the Philippines and Taiwan will be indefinitely cancelled from 12 Feb. The airline will try to maintain at least one round-trip (CI703 Taipei-Manila and CI704 Manila-Taipei) per day.

EVA Air’s cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

• BR277 Taipei-Manila
• BR278 Manila-Taipei

Beginning 12 Feb, EVA Air is cancelling their afternoon flights between Manila and Taiwan. Passengers booked on those flights will be moved to the evening flights (BR261 Taipei-Manila and BR262 Manila-Taipei) instead.

Tigerair Taiwan’s cancelled flights to & from Taiwan

Tigerair Taiwan will carry on flights to Boracay, Palawan, and Cebu scheduled all throughout 14 Feb. On 15 Feb, the airline will cancel all flights between the Philippines and Taiwan until 31 Mar.

What does this travel ban expansion mean for flight passengers coming from Taiwan?

In light of the travel ban expansion, travellers (with the exception of Filipino citizens and permanent resident visa holders) directly coming from Taiwan will not be permitted entry into the Philippines. The same goes for passengers coming from China, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Though Filipino citizens and permanent resident visa holders will be granted entry into the country, they will be subjected to the Department of Health’s mandatory 14-day quarantine.