A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Mindanao has forced Cebu Pacific to ground all scheduled flights to and from General Santos City on June 11, 2026, leaving thousands of passengers scrambling to rebook or seek refunds as aviation operations across southern Mindanao remain severely disrupted.
The budget carrier released Advisory No. 3 at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, confirming that five round-trip flight routes — connecting General Santos with both Cebu and Manila — would not push through the following day, according to the airline's official advisory.
Which Flights Were Cancelled on June 11
Cebu Pacific confirmed in its advisory that the following round-trip services scheduled for June 11 have been pulled from the flight roster:
- 5J 251/252: Cebu – General Santos – Cebu
- 5J 991/992: Manila – General Santos – Manila
- 5J 993/994: Manila – General Santos – Manila
- 5J 995/996: Manila – General Santos – Manila
- 5J 997/998: Manila – General Santos – Manila
The cancelled schedule includes one round-trip route originating from Cebu and four round-trip routes based out of Manila, all bound for General Santos City's Francisco B. Reyes Airport — a key aviation hub serving southern Mindanao. Cebu Pacific said that affected passengers were already notified via email and directed to the airline's Manage Booking portal to arrange alternatives.
Quake's Impact on Mindanao Air Operations
The cancellations trace directly to the magnitude 7.8 seismic event off Mindanao's coast, which Cebu Pacific described as having triggered a "cascading effect" on its flight operations in the southern Philippines. An earthquake of that magnitude — categorized as a major seismic event — is considered powerful enough to cause structural damage, set off tsunami alerts, and prompt precautionary closures of critical infrastructure such as airports and air traffic control facilities.
Cebu Pacific characterized the situation as "developing" in its advisory, acknowledging that further schedule changes beyond those listed in Advisory No. 3 remain possible as authorities on the ground in Mindanao continue their safety assessments. The airline said it would provide updates as new information becomes available.
The designation of the release as Advisory No. 3 is itself telling — it signals that the June 11 groundings are the third round of publicly disclosed disruptions since the earthquake struck, each advisory reflecting a progressively wider operational impact. Prior advisories issued in the immediate aftermath of the quake had already flagged earlier batches of cancellations and schedule alterations, according to the airline.
Three Options for Passengers With Cancelled Bookings
Cebu Pacific outlined three remediation paths for affected passengers, all accessible through the Manage Booking portal at cebupacificair.com/manage-booking, the airline said in its advisory:
Free Rebooking: Passengers may rebook their travel at no additional fare charge, so long as the new departure date falls within 30 days of the originally scheduled flight. Any rescheduling beyond the 30-day window will be subject to applicable fare differences.
Travel Fund: Affected passengers may transfer the ticket value to a CEB virtual wallet, which can be applied toward future flight bookings or ancillary add-ons such as extra baggage or seat selection.
Full Refund: Passengers who opt not to rebook or hold their ticket value as a travel credit are entitled to a complete refund of the amount paid.
Cebu Pacific strongly encouraged all affected travelers to update their contact details through the Manage Booking system to ensure timely receipt of email alerts regarding any additional schedule changes, the airline noted in its statement.
Passengers Told to Track Flight Status Actively
Given the fluid and still-evolving nature of the earthquake's impact on Mindanao aviation, Cebu Pacific urged all passengers — including those not yet formally notified — to regularly check the status of their flights through the airline's dedicated flight status page at cebupacificair.com/flight-status.
The airline was explicit in its advisory that "some flight changes may continue to take place" beyond those announced in Advisory No. 3, making real-time monitoring especially critical for travelers with upcoming bookings to General Santos or other Mindanao destinations that could be affected by the ongoing disruption.
Cebu Pacific said the complexity of resuming normal operations involves multiple prerequisites — airport structural safety assessments, confirmation of air traffic control readiness, and verification of ground handling capacity — all of which must be cleared before regular scheduled services can be restored. The airline did not provide a specific timeline for the normalization of General Santos routes, stating only that it is "working towards normalizing operations as soon as possible."
Support Channels for Stranded or Affected Travelers
For passengers who require direct assistance beyond what the self-service Manage Booking portal can offer, Cebu Pacific made the following support channels available, according to the advisory:
- Online Chat Support accessible through the official Cebu Pacific website
- Official Facebook Page of Cebu Pacific Air
- Official X (formerly Twitter) Account of Cebu Pacific Air
The airline closed its advisory by appealing to affected passengers for "patience and understanding" as the carrier navigates what it described as one of the most operationally challenging seismic disruptions to hit its Mindanao route network in recent history. Cebu Pacific pledged to continue issuing updates as conditions on the ground develop and as airport safety evaluations in affected areas are completed.
The escalating series of advisories underscores the scale of the earthquake's impact — not just on infrastructure, but on the thousands of ordinary travelers whose plans have been thrown into uncertainty by the disaster. For now, passengers booked on General Santos routes are advised to act quickly in using the available rebooking and refund options before further capacity tightens.
Source: Originally reported by BreakingNewsNegros.com