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MANILA — Local airlines on Thursday said they were implementing measures to mitigate flight disruptions and shorten aircraft servicing period, following complaints that triggered a Senate probe.

Senate Committee on Tourism chairperson Sen. Nancy Binay led Wednesday's inquiry on reports of overbooking, offloading and glitches against Cebu Pacific.

Philippine Airlines, AirAsia and other related aviation stakeholders and regulators were also present during the inquiry.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific said the existing fleet availability issues affecting the global aviation industry were partly causing the disruptions.

To mitigate the impact on passengers, it said it was implementing the following initiatives:

• Heightened customer care and recovery by expanding customer service capabilities and increasing the number of live agents 24/7

• Reducing scheduled flights to account for the unavailable aircraft that are expected to be out of service for a "considerable amount of time"

• Increase in standby aircraft to 4 from 3, and reach as much as 6 by year-end to improve operational resiliency since there will be more aircraft available immediately if needed

In an interview with Teleradyo on Thursday, Binay said the Senate would monitor improvements as the airline implements these measures.

"Sa susunod na hearing titingnan natin kung may improvement na sila dahil mukhang magbabawas na sila ng flight kung ano na lang yung kaya nila ibigay sa 'ting kababayan ay yun lang ang ibebenta nila na flights," Binay told Teleradyo.

(In the next hearing, we will see if they have made any improvements because it seems they will reduce flights and only sell the ones they are capable of providing to our fellow countrymen)

"Since magbabawas sila ng mga ibebentang upuan, hopefully mabawasan ang pagka-cancel at pag-overbook natin," she added.

(Since they will be reducing the number of seats being sold, hopefully, it will lead to a decrease in our cancellations and overbooking)

Philippine Airlines, meanwhile, said it was making adjustments in its flight operations "to minimize disruptions and restore normalcy."

In a statement, PAL Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said the airline was undertaking the following measures:

• Seeking more sources of critical parts and suppliers in the market to expedite aircraft servicing time
• Acquiring additional A321CEO to join its fleet in the first week of July
• Finalizing lease arrangements for additional planes including 1 Q400 and 1 A330
• Reactivation of 1 A320 from storage by the first week of August
• Purchase of 9 new A350-1000 aircraft from Airbus

"To enhance efficiency and reduce aircraft servicing time, we are making changes to our maintenance procedures without compromising safety and aircraft reliability. We are regularly reviewing our flight capacity to ensure that maintenance schedules are met," Villaluna said.

Another hearing on the issue will be conducted in July, Binay said.

— With a report from Jessica Fenol, ABS-CBN News

• Senate begins probe on complaints vs Cebu Pacific, other airlines
• PAL inks deal with Airbus for purchase of 9 A350-1000s
• Senators grill local airlines over 'systemic' flight delays, other inconveniences