Sarangani: The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced on Thursday that the General Santos Airport is closed for commercial operations until 6 p.m. of June 14. This decision follows the magnitude 7.8 offshore Sarangani earthquake that shook parts of Mindanao on June 8. Only government, military, and humanitarian flights are permitted at the airport during this period.

According to Philippines News Agency, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio mentioned that commercial operations are expected to resume on Monday, June 15, barring any unforeseen events. In light of the airport's temporary closure, Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced the cancellation of all its General Santos flights from June 11-14. The affected flights include PR 453/454 and PR 2455/2456 between Manila and General Santos, as well as PR 2339/2340 and PR 2357/2358 between Cebu and General Santos.

PAL emphasized the importance of passenger safety and security, stating that the flight cancellations are necessary to conduct safety assessments and coordinate with airport authorities following the earthquake. Passengers affected by these cancellations can rebook their flights, reroute them via Davao at no additional cost within 60 days, or opt for a full refund.

Similarly, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) has also canceled its General Santos flights via Cebu and Manila scheduled for June 11. Affected passengers with Cebu Pacific can choose to rebook, refund their tickets, or store the amount in a virtual CEB wallet.

As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the earthquake has resulted in 3,019 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1.2 to 6.4. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that at least 790 of these aftershocks were plotted or located, and 61 were felt.