MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY— The Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched its “Larga Ta, Cebu” campaign on November 24 in a media conference in Cebu City and introduced the brand new regional and domestic routes out of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) direct to Baguio in northern Luzon, Borongan in Eastern Leyte, Tawi-Tawi connecting Cebu to Cotabato in southern Mindanao by December 2022.
"Philippine Airlines hopes to build up Cebu as the Queen of Gateways, strategically positioned as the ideal gateway to the tourist islands and provincial economic centers of the Visayas and Mindanao, and beyond to Northern Luzon and Palawan," PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Capt. Stanley Ng said during a press conference at Cebu's Radisson Blu hotel, Thursday.
Rabbi Ang, OIC-President of PAL Express said PAL aims to fly in visitors from overseas and give them easy access to holiday resorts, business hubs and emerging economic centers throughout the Philippines via Cebu.
Ang added, PAL’s goal is to revitalize domestic travel and economic development by leveraging the strength of the Queen City of the South and enhancing its connectivity to all corners of the nation. This is a vital step in support of the government's thrust to revitalize Philippine tourism and the national economy.
From Mactan-Cebu, Philippine Airlines will offer more than 200 weekly flights to 19 destinations, comprising 17 cities in the Philippines as well as Bangkok and Tokyo.
CEBU - BAGUIO
Beginning December 16, 2022, PAL kicks off direct
flights between Cebu and Baguio, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, in a
historic first for Philippine aviation with the following flights:
· PR 2230 Cebu-Baguio to operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, departing Mactan-Cebu at 8:50 AM; arriving at Baguio Loakan Airport at 10:50 AM.
· PR 2231 Baguio-Cebu to operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, departing Baguio at 11:10 AM, arriving in Cebu at 01:00 PM.
"Our Manila-Baguio flight on March 15,
1941 marked the start of the aviation age for the Philippines and Asia. In the same pioneer spirit, we are delighted
to link the northern and central regions of our country with nonstop service
between Cebu and Baguio," Capt. Ng said.
The Cebu-Baguio flights will operate with De Havilland Dash 8 Series 400 Next Generation aircraft, 86-seater high-performance turboprops that fly with jet-like comfort in a quiet cabin, Ng added.
On December 19, PAL offers direct twice weekly services between Cebu and Borongan City, the surfing capital of the Visayas and home of pristine caves, forests, waterfalls and other natural treasures with the following schedules:
• PR 2651 Cebu-Borongan flies every Monday and Friday, departing at 11:00 AM, arriving in Borongan Airport at 12:00 Noon
•
PR
2652 Borongan-Cebu flies every Monday and Friday, departing at 12:30PM,
arriving in Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 1:30 PM.
Starting December 1, the flag carrier mounts twice weekly direct flights between Cebu and Cotabato City. The flights will be part of a one-stop service between Cebu and Tawi-Tawi, offering travelers an easy link to the southernmost islands of the Philippines without having to fly first north to Manila for a connection.
These services offer the potential of revitalizing commercial activities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with the following flights:
• PR 2223 Cebu-Cotabato flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 05:20 AM, arriving in Cotabato’s Awang Airport at 06:35 AM.
• PR 2224 Cotabato-Cebu flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 11:00 AM, arriving in Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 12:15 PM.
• PR 2487 Cebu – Tawi-Tawi flights depart Cebu at 05:20 AM every Monday and Thursday and land in Tawi-Tawi at 08:30 AM after a stop in Cotabato.
• PR 2488 Tawi-Tawi – Cebu flights depart from Tawi-Tawi at 09:00 AM and fly via Cotabato to arrive in Cebu at 12:15 PM.
Travelers from Cotabato City may use PAL’s Cebu
hub network to connect to Boracay, Clark, Coron, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro,
Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Siargao and Baguio.
PAL reopens direct flights between Cebu City and Bangkok with a twice-weekly service slated every Monday and Friday from December 9, 2022 using 199-seater Airbus A321 aircraft.
“We are seeing a comeback for tourism in the ASEAN region, and our revival of Cebu-Bangkok flights gives us the chance to grow the Philippines-Thailand passenger market and strengthen bilateral ties," PAL President Capt. Ng bared.
The flights from Cebu serve Bangkok’s main gateway, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), which provides easy access to central Bangkok and connections to other destinations in Thailand. PAL will operate the service with a 199-seater Airbus A321 aircraft with the following schedules:
•PR 738 Cebu-Bangkok – every Monday and Friday departing at 09:30 AM
•PR 739 Bangkok-Cebu –
every Monday and Friday departing at 01:30 PM
Philippine Airlines is likewise ramping up flights on other domestic routes to and from Mactan-Cebu airport, Bacolod and Caticlan in Boracay seeing additional frequencies in time for the busy holiday season.
As key Asian countries reopen their borders, the flag carrier is considering the resumption of direct flights between Cebu and other cities in Japan. Details will be announced in due course, when plans and schedules are finalized. PAL currently operates three weekly flights between Cebu and Tokyo Narita.
In addition to Cebu hub developments, PAL continues to expand its global network in a calibrated and gradual manner, as part of a restoration of the Philippines’ international and inter-island air linkages after the hiatus of the pandemic.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the Philippines’ flag carrier and only full-service network airline. PAL was the first commercial airline in Asia and celebrated its 81st anniversary in March 2022.
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