Sunlight Air, a boutique Philippine carrier known for flying leisure travelers to island destinations, is preparing for a decisive shift in its network: by March 29, 2026, it will end all remaining turboprop operations at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport and consolidate them at Clark International Airport. For travelers, the change crystalizes a question that has been building since the airline first pivoted north in 2024: when you book Sunlight Air, should you plan to fly from Manila or Clark. With government regulators pushing turboprop flights out of the capital to ease chronic congestion, Sunlight Air’s move is part of a broader shakeup that will reshape how people access some of the country’s most popular beach and adventure destinations.
What Exactly Is Changing and When
Sunlight Air has already spent the past two years gradually repositioning itself away from Manila. In April 2024 it made Clark its primary hub, moving most routes to Coron, Siargao, Naga, San Vicente and Boracay to the Pampanga gateway, while maintaining a limited presence at Manila for its Manila Cebu flights. That hybrid setup allowed loyal Manila based travelers to hold on to at least one direct route from the capital even as the airline grew its Clark network.
That compromise is now coming to an end. Under a national airport decongestion program and a formal mandate covering turboprop operations at Manila, Sunlight Air will cease its Manila Cebu service effective March 29, 2026. From March 30 onward, the airline’s scheduled turboprop flights will operate entirely outside the capital, with Clark serving as the main northern hub and Cebu continuing to build its role as a southern base.
For passengers, that means any Sunlight Air ticket involving Manila after March 28, 2026 will no longer be valid as originally booked. The carrier has begun contacting affected travelers, offering rebooking and other service recovery options. If you are planning Easter or summer 2026 island trips and prefer to fly from Manila, you will either need to connect via another airline or adjust your plans to depart from Clark instead.
Why Manila Is Losing Turboprop Flights
Sunlight Air’s move is not a standalone commercial decision. It is part of a sweeping policy to free up space at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has long wrestled with overcrowding, delayed flights and the physical limitations of a single primary runway. Regulators want to dedicate Manila’s scarce slots to larger jet aircraft that can carry more passengers per movement, improving throughput without the capacity of a second runway.
To achieve this, the Manila Slot Coordination Committee issued Resolution 2025 02, requiring airlines to transfer turboprop flights out of the capital by late March 2026. Larger turboprop operators such as PAL Express and Cebgo were given earlier deadlines, while smaller carriers, including Sunlight Air, were granted additional time to manage their transition. That grace period is now expiring, and Sunlight Air is aligning its final timetable with the national cut off.
The end result is that Manila will become an almost entirely jet focused gateway, while regional airports in Clark, Cebu, Iloilo and other secondary cities will absorb the bulk of turboprop services. For travelers this means more connections and new point to point options outside Manila, but also fewer choices if you prefer to begin and end every journey at the capital’s main airport.
Clark vs Manila: What the Shift Means for Travelers
The most immediate question for passengers is whether relocating to Clark will make their trips more or less convenient. Clark International Airport sits roughly 100 to 120 kilometers north of central Manila. Depending on traffic conditions, the drive via the North Luzon Expressway can take anywhere from about one and a half to over two hours, longer if you are coming from the southern parts of Metro Manila or Cavite.
For residents of Quezon City, Caloocan, Bulacan or Pampanga, Clark can actually be closer and significantly more predictable than the crawl to Ninoy Aquino. The terminal is newer, less congested and easier to navigate, with shorter security queues and more relaxed boarding experiences compared to Manila’s overburdened domestic terminals. Travelers with early morning departures to Coron or Siargao from Clark often report spending less overall door to gate time than they did when fighting their way to Manila.
On the other hand, for business travelers working in Makati, Bonifacio Global City, Alabang or the Bay Area, the requirement to trek north adds an extra layer of logistics to any Sunlight Air trip. Instead of a short ride to Manila’s domestic terminal, you may need to plan half a day just to reach Clark, particularly on Fridays, long weekends or holidays when expressways fill up. For some, that extra road journey offsets the time savings of a direct turboprop hop to the islands.
How Sunlight Air Is Reconfiguring Its Network
Sunlight Air’s Clark centric strategy is more than a simple airport swap. By fully embracing Clark as its main northern base, the airline is consolidating its network into a tighter web of point to point routes linking key leisure markets. Coron (Busuanga), Siargao, Boracay via Caticlan and other sought after spots will be served primarily from Clark and Cebu, allowing the carrier to schedule aircraft and crews more efficiently and to boost frequencies where demand is strongest.
In practical terms, that means travelers in Central and Northern Luzon gain a high value shortcut to many of the country’s top holiday islands. Instead of driving all the way to Manila or connecting via another city, they can go straight from Clark to their destination on Sunlight Air’s turboprops. The airline has already been incrementally adding capacity on high demand routes such as Clark Coron and refining schedules to allow for same day connections via Clark or Cebu.
For Manila based passengers, the new network map will feel less intuitive at first. The days of hopping on a Sunlight turboprop at Terminal 4 are numbered. However, the broader domestic aviation shift may still benefit these travelers in indirect ways. As turboprops vacate Manila, larger competitors are stepping in with additional jet services to Cebu, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Tacloban and other hubs, making it easier to connect to island destinations with a single change rather than multiple legs.
What Happens to Existing Bookings and Fares
Sunlight Air has confirmed that passengers holding Manila Cebu tickets beyond March 28, 2026 are eligible for service recovery options. In practice, this typically includes rebooking onto alternative dates or routes operated from Clark or Cebu, travel credits that can be applied to future journeys, or refunds for those who no longer wish to fly. Exact options may vary depending on the original fare conditions and how far in advance the schedule change is communicated.
Travelers should expect a phased notification process. Customers with bookings closest to the March 29 cutoff are usually contacted first, followed by those further out in the year as timetables are finalized. If you purchased Sunlight Air tickets through a travel agent or an online travel platform, advisories may go to the agency email on file, so it is important to coordinate closely with your booking channel.
As for fares, shifts of this magnitude rarely translate into immediate across the board price cuts. However, competition around Clark is gradually increasing as more airlines add services to and from the airport. Over time, this could put downward pressure on prices for certain routes, especially during off peak periods. Conversely, for travelers who now must pay for transfers between Manila and Clark in addition to their air ticket, the total cost of a trip may rise unless they are able to take advantage of promotions or bundled shuttle options.
Getting Between Manila and Clark
A key factor in the Manila or Clark decision will be how you plan to bridge the distance between the two airports. When Sunlight Air first moved its main operations in 2024, it offered shared shuttle services between Ninoy Aquino and Clark for affected passengers, helping to smooth the transition for those caught midway between old and new hubs. As the final phase out of Manila operations approaches in 2026, the carrier is expected to refine or expand these ground transport options.
Beyond airline provided shuttles, a mix of public and private services already link Metro Manila to Clark. Point to point buses depart from select city terminals and major malls, offering dedicated airport runs that bypass multiple stops. Private car hire, ride hailing services with long distance options and organized van transfers are also common, particularly among group travelers heading for early morning flights.
However, these services come with caveats. Schedules can be affected by traffic and weather, and spare capacity during peak holidays may be limited. Travelers should build in generous buffers when connecting a Manila arrival or departure with a Clark based Sunlight Air flight. Missing a turboprop departure to a small island destination can sometimes mean a wait of one or more days before the next available seat, especially during high season.
How This Fits Into the Bigger Picture of Philippine Air Travel
Sunlight Air’s final withdrawal from Manila’s turboprop scene is part of a wider rebalancing of the country’s aviation landscape. Philippine Airlines, through PAL Express, and Cebu Pacific’s turboprop arm are also moving their Manila based propeller operations to Clark and other secondary hubs. Taken together, these changes mark a structural shift that could redefine travel patterns for millions of domestic passengers over the coming years.
For government planners, the strategy is meant to stretch limited capacity at Ninoy Aquino while encouraging the growth of regional gateways. Clark, in particular, has been positioned as a complementary primary hub for Luzon, with a modern terminal designed to handle far more passengers than it currently serves. By anchoring a boutique leisure carrier like Sunlight Air at Clark and drawing in turboprop flights from multiple airlines, authorities hope to accelerate that growth and reduce the capital’s overreliance on a single airport.
From the traveler’s perspective, the transition will likely come with a period of adjustment. Connecting itineraries may feel more complex, and familiar routines centered on Manila’s domestic terminals will need to be rethought. Over time, though, the payoff could be a more diversified set of travel options: shorter trips to the airport for those living north of Metro Manila, more direct flights between regional cities, and a more resilient network less vulnerable to gridlock at a single chokepoint.
Practical Tips for Choosing Between Manila and Clark
If you are considering Sunlight Air for upcoming island getaways, start by mapping your true point of origin, not just the nearest famous city. Travelers based in Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Zambales or even parts of northern Metro Manila may discover that Clark is effectively their closest major airport. In those cases, the airline’s shift is unequivocally good news, cutting ground travel time and simplifying island connections.
For those firmly rooted in central or southern Metro Manila, weigh the total journey. A direct Clark Coron flight might still beat a multi leg Manila connection via another city, but only if you plan ground transport well. Check Sunlight Air’s latest schedules, look at bus and shuttle timetables and allow for at least a few hours of buffer when linking international arrivals in Manila with domestic departures out of Clark.
Above all, pay close attention to the effective date of the Manila withdrawal. Flights up to March 28, 2026 are expected to operate broadly as scheduled from Manila, while services from March 29 onward will be centered on Clark and other hubs. Booking with clear awareness of that timeline, and building flexibility into your travel plans, will help ensure that Sunlight Air’s big move becomes an opportunity rather than an unwelcome surprise.