Manila Flights Cancelled for the ASEAN Summit (13–19 November 2026): What Travellers Need to Know

This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More in our Affiliate Disclosure.

Last updated 13 November 2026. Facts come from the Philippine Department of Transportation (via Philippine media), Philippine Airlines and the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Schedules can still change, so always confirm your own flight with the airline.

Short answer: Manila hosts the 49th ASEAN Summit on 16–18 November 2026. To make room for delegates and heads of state, more than 300 flights to and from Manila’s NAIA airport between 13 and 19 November have been cancelled or rescheduled, mostly domestic routes on Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia. If your flight is affected, you can choose free rebooking, a full refund or a travel fund. Expect longer security checks at NAIA and road closures around Pasay.

What is happening and when

Summit dates: 16–18 November 2026, main venue the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. The government declared 16–18 November special non-working days in Metro Manila.
Flight changes: the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said more than 300 flights at NAIA from 13 to 19 November would be rescheduled or cancelled, with the first foreign delegates arriving on 14 November.
Philippine Airlines says several domestic and international flights to and from Manila between 14 and 18 November have been cancelled or rescheduled.
Road closures: the U.S. Embassy reports full closures around PICC and the CCP Complex from 9 to 20 November, with heavy traffic expected on Roxas Blvd, Diokno Blvd, Macapagal Blvd and Buendia Ave.

Which flights are affected?

The published lists are long and mostly domestic. Examples from the DOTr list reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Philippine Airlines, 14 November: Manila to Cebu, Davao, Bacolod-Silay, Iloilo, General Santos, Zamboanga and Puerto Princesa (PR 2779/2780), plus international rotations such as Manila–Hong Kong (PR 306/307) and Manila–Melbourne (PR 209/210).
Cebu Pacific, 13–19 November: many domestic rotations, including Manila–Puerto Princesa (5J 1833/1834) and Manila–Caticlan for Boracay (5J 891/892) on 14 November, and some international ones such as Manila–Hong Kong and Manila–Bangkok Don Mueang.
AirAsia flights are also on the DOTr list.

The DOTr said it expected the impact on international carriers to be minimal, mainly delays. That is not a guarantee for your flight: the lists above include some international rotations operated by Philippine carriers, so check yours.

Heading to Palawan, Coron or Boracay?

Most island trips in the Philippines start with a domestic hop from Manila, so this is the week to double-check. Puerto Princesa (the usual gateway towards El Nido) and Caticlan (Boracay) both appear on the lists. If you are flying to Busuanga for Coron, check your own flight number with the airline rather than assuming it is safe.

If a cancelled flight eats a day of your island time, rebook first and then shuffle the plans: in our Coron guide we explain how the island-hopping tours work, and in our El Nido post and the one on Nacpan Beach you can see what is worth keeping if your days get shorter.

Your options if your flight is cancelled

According to the DOTr and the airlines, passengers on affected flights can pick one of three options:

Free rebooking, with penalties waived;
A full refund;
A travel fund to use on a future trip.

Philippine Airlines says it is contacting affected passengers by email and SMS. Make sure the contact details in your booking are correct, especially if you booked through an agency or comparison site, because the airline may only have the agency’s details.

If you also booked hotels, transfers or tours for those days, contact them as soon as you have your new flight. Non-refundable rooms are your own risk here: a cancelled flight does not automatically make a hotel refund you.

Practical tips for 13–19 November

Check your flight number on the airline’s website or app, not just the route: lists change and some rotations are only rescheduled, not cancelled.
Leave extra time to reach NAIA. The U.S. Embassy warns of longer security screening and sudden road closures and convoy stops anywhere in Metro Manila.
Avoid the PICC/CCP area and Roxas Boulevard from 9 to 20 November if you can, and keep away from demonstrations.
Consider staying near your terminal the night before an early flight, rather than crossing Pasay on summit days.
DOTr help desks are being set up at NAIA (Terminal 1 departure and arrival lobbies, Terminal 2 North and South wings), Clark and Mactan-Cebu airports.
Carry ID and follow instructions from the authorities near restricted zones.

Planning flights more generally? See when to book holiday flights and, if you fly in Europe, the new Ryanair 60-minute bag drop rule.

Book the island part with flexibility

If your dates are moving, flexible bookings are worth a little more this week. You can compare stays in Coron, stays in El Nido or hotels near NAIA in Pasay, filtering for free cancellation, and look at Coron tours or El Nido island-hopping tours with free cancellation.