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MANILA : Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said on Saturday it had to cancel several domestic and international flights after some of its pilots quit without giving enough notice.
Three flights to Hong Kong and at least eight domestic flights were cancelled after pilots left to join airlines abroad, PAL said in a statement.
"The indiscriminate resignation of the A320 pilots... is in violation of their contract with PAL as well as with pertinent government regulations that require resigning pilots to give PAL six months' notice," the statement said.
The airline said it would be filing "appropriate charges" against the pilots who still owe PAL for the cost of their training.
The statement did not say how many pilots had resigned or where they were going to work. Airline spokesmen could not be contacted for comment.
However sources in the PAL employees' union said the resignations were in reaction to a plan by the airline to lay off thousands of employees and outsource their positions.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino said the government was meeting with PAL management to arrange a new schedule to make up for the lost pilots.
He also said the transport and labour departments would be looking into the matter.
The local aviation sector has been embroiled in several controversies in recent months such as a shortage of air navigation equipment at Manila airport and growing labour unrest at PAL, the largest domestic carrier. - AFP/ms
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