Air Busan flights to Boracay suspended

Travellers and local airlines have been bewildered by the Philippine government's sudden banning of charter flight services to the country's famous resort island of Boracay. According to Air Busan and tour agencies here, Tuesday, the Philippine government sent an official statement to a number of international airlines the previous day to say it was revoking permission for all charter flights to the Island immediately. The targeted airlines are those that did not fly to Boracay during last winter, and Air Busan is the only Korean carrier included on the list. The Philippine government announced Monday it would suspend all non-scheduled flights to Boracay. In Korea, Air Busan is subject to the ban. According to an Air Busan official, it was notified of the ban last Friday. "Our staffers visited the country's aviation office to negotiate over the ban Friday, but we received official notification from the Philippine government on Monday," the official said. "We asked for a two-week grace period, so we can bring tourists who flew there on our flights back to Korea. But the request was denied." Travellers who were planning to come back to Busan from Boracay on Monday on an Air Busan flight will fly back to Busan with AirAsia Zest, a Philippine budget carrier. "The Philippine government did not even clarify the reason for this suspension, but we assumed it is related to the closure of the island last year in order to protect the environment." <br/>