DAVAO CITY – The local government of Davao has allowed the resumption of all domestic and international flights to and from Davao International Airport (DIA) to allow more economic activities amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mayor Sara Duterte issued Executive Order No. 26 Thursday, which permits the resumption of all kinds of flights, including scheduled international flights, unscheduled domestic commercial flights or chartered, and other general aviation flights to and from the city.
This decision came after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and DIA proposed, in a letter dated May 4, 2021, the removal “of all restrictions on flight operations to allow for more economic activities insofar as civil aviation is concerned.”
But the local government will still require all inbound passengers to comply with Ordinance No. 0477-21, which requires “mandatory testing prior to entry into Davao City via Davao International Airport,” according to the order.
A “negative” virus test result must be issued within 24 to 72 hours before departure to this city.
In March 2020, Duterte issued EOs 12 and 22, suspending all international and domestic air travels to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It reopened last June 8, 2020 for domestic commercial flights under strict health safety protocols.
Prior to suspension, the DIA had six international flights such as the Cathay Dragon’s Davao-Hong Kong-Davao, Cebu Pacific’s Davao-Singapore-Davao, Garuda Indonesia’s Davao-Manado-Davao, Qatar Airways’ Davao-Qatar-Davao, SilkAir’s Davao-Singapore-Davao, and XiamenAir’s Davao-Quanzhou-Davao, and 21 domestic flights, serviced by various airlines.