New flights enter Philippines airports

MANILA, Philippines — Airfares may be going up, but domestic and foreign airlines have shown confidence in Philippine aviation by mounting new flights from major hubs.

Vietnamese carrier Vietjet Air has started flying between Clark and Ho Chi Minh, opening another flight option to one of Southeast Asia’s hottest destinations.

Further, Vietjet became the first airline to operate non-stop flights between the two destinations, helping Clark International Airport expand its international coverage.

The airline offers the flights thrice a week – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From Ho Chi Minh, Vietjet said travelers could connect to other destinations across Vietnam, including Da Nang.

Travelers may maximize Vietjet’s overseas network that goes as far as Maldives through Sri Lanka. Vietjet also reaches multiple destinations across Asia-Pacific, including China, India and Japan.

Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thanh Son said the airline sees Clark as a high-potential airport, especially as its private operator Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. widens the flight network.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), for its part, also started flying to Chicago to mark a new milestone for the country.

The service sets up the first direct link between Manila and the US Midwest, where hundreds of thousands of Filipinos reside, with around 145,000 in Chicago alone as of 2019.

PAL executive vice president and chief operating officer Carlos Luis Fernandez said the airline is bent on solidifying its leadership in the transpacific market. Chicago is the eighth US destination on PAL’s network.

Fernandez also said the US Midwest is one of the most dynamic regions in the US, so the flight would cater to business travelers, too. Likewise, Chicago’s gateway O’Hare International Airport is one of the busiest in the US.

“(Chicago) expands our presence to the Midwest and provides more convenient access to one of the largest regional economies in the United States,” Fernandez said.

Right now, PAL leads Philippine carriers on international coverage, flying to 41 cities overseas, reaching as far as the Middle East and North America.