Cebu Pacific bans shark fin on flights

MANILA, Philippines — Whether on meal trays or in freight, shark fin will no longer be allowed on board any Cebu Pacific flight.

The country’s biggest budget carrier has formalized a freight policy for immediate implementation and strict compliance across Cebu Pacific stations, the airline announced.

The move also follows Philippine Airline’s decision last April to also stop accepting the carriage of shark fin.

Also, Cebu Pacific will no longer serve shark’s fin soup in-flight, during corporate events or in any gathering organized and hosted by the airline.

“Cebu Pacific values biodiversity and marine life sustainability. We are banning shark fin carriage effective immediately as we learned that unsustainable shark fishing and our carriage of shark fin is not aligned with Cebu Pacific position on sustainable development,” Jorenz Tañada, Cebu Pacific vice president for Corporate Affairs, said in a statement.

“We have been working closely with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in our efforts to address some of the most pressing environmental concerns including climate change and marine life preservation,” Tañada added.

WWF-Philippines vice chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, in the same statement, welcomed the development.

“For several years now, Cebu Pacific passengers have helped fund WWF’s conservation efforts in our two great Philippine reefs—Tubbataha in Palawan and Apo in Mindoro. Cebu Pacific’s … gesture in support of the conservation of Philippine sharks will most certainly help disrupt the transport chains that fuel this highly destructive trade,” he said.

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