Operations at General Santos Airport restricted after 7.8 earthquake in southern Philippines

Update: (June 9, 2026) Philippine Airlines announced the cancellation of four roundtrip flights to/from General Santos between June 9 and 11.

Following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao that struck on the morning of June 8 (PhST), flight operations at the General Santos Airport is currently limited to government, military, and humanitarian flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) stated the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) related to the restricted operations at General Santos Airport is in effect from June 8 1500H to June 11 1800H (all PhST) as assessments continue at the airport. Passengers are advised to coordinate with their respective airlines for updates.

Immediately after the earthquake, all operations at the General Santos Airport was temporarily suspended after damage was sustained at the airport.

As a result of the suspension of regular flight operations at General Santos Airport, Philippine Airlines canceled all its flights to the southern Philippine airport today June 8. 

The airline's flight cancellations will extend between June 9 and 11 including the following flights: PR453/PR454 (Manila-General Santos), PR2455/PR2456 (Manila-General Santos), PR2339/PR2340 (Cebu-General Santos), and PR2357/PR2358 (Cebu-General Santos). 

Among the affected flights are PR453 which had departed from Manila bound for General Santos after 6AM. After circling around nearby General Santos, the flight diverted back to Manila.

Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific canceled a total of 11 flights scheduled to/from General Santos on June 8. The affected flights are 5J249/5J250 (Cebu-General Santos), 5J991/5J992 (Manila-General Santos), 5J993/5J994 (Manila-General Santos), 5J995/5J996 (Manila-General Santos), 5J998 (General Santos-Manila), and 5J4843/5J4844 (Iloilo-General Santos).

Both airlines have advised passengers on their rebooking, refund, and travel fund/credit options.

Separately, one of Philippine Airlines’ customer support sites was closed due to the earthquake which has resulted in longer wait times across some support channels.

“If you are not traveling within the next 48 hours and your request is not urgent, we kindly ask that you contact us at a later time so we can prioritize customers with immediate travel needs.”

While General Santos Airport’s operations are restricted, other airports in the affected area such as Davao International Airport, Laguindingan International Airport (Cagayan de Oro), and Cotabato continue to serve regular operations.