Cebu Pacific: 80% of left-behind baggage recovered

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific said on Wednesday it has made “significant progress'' in addressing the delayed baggage handling at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

“To date, Cebu Pacific has recovered 80% of left-behind bags,” the Gokongwei-led carrier said in a statement.

The airline earlier said the baggage handling issue has been going on since October 18, with 821 bags left behind as of the afternoon of October 22.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said checked bags “are now being processed as usual.”

At the peak of disruption on October 20, the airline said that 400 passengers were affected out of 65,000 that flew on that date.

“Cebu Pacific and the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) are working together to normalize the situation the soonest time possible by increasing manpower and refining manual processes to improve the flow of baggage from check-in to loading,” it said.

“As we work to fully restore the system, our teams are focused on delivering any remaining delayed luggage to affected passengers as quickly as possible,” the airline added.

NNIC said that contingency measures are in place to address the issue, as it underscored the urgent need to upgrade the airport’s aging infrastructure.

The airport operator said it was putting the replacement of NAIA’s 20-year-old baggage handling system as a top priority in its rehabilitation and modernization efforts.

Cebu Pacific said that NNIC has already procured a new, advanced system, with additional redundancy measures set to be implemented to prevent future disruptions and enhance operational efficiency.

“We understand the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate our passengers' patience and understanding,” the airline said. — VBL, GMA Integrated News