Commercial flights suspended to Philippine hostage island

JOLO, PHILIPPINES, MAY 6: Commercial flights to this southern Philippine island, where 21 hostages are being held by Muslim extremists, are to be suspended due to security problems, an official said on Saturday.

Asian Spirit, the sole carrier running flights out of Zamboanga to the islands of Jolo and Tawi-Tawi, will suspend operations indefinitely from Sunday, Cesar Ventura, the airline’s station supervisor, told AFP. This is "because of the escalating Mindanao crisis," he said, as the last flight left here for Zamboanga early on Saturday.

Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebels kidnapped 21 people from a Malaysian resort on April 23 and brought them across the sea border to Jolo. The military has tightened its cordon around the abductors. "The ATO (Air Transporation Office) cannot guarantee our security so the company decided to stop flight operations indefintely. We cannot take any risk," Ventura said. Asian Spirit used a turbo-prop YS-11-500 aircraft for its flights to Jolo and Tawi-Tawi four Times a week. Without the Air link, travellers to and from Jolo will be confined to ferries.