From Cebu to other areas: PAL expands connectivity

CEBU, Philippines —  Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced plans to increase air connectivity from Cebu to other areas in the country and abroad as it embarks on an aggressive expansion binge.

In a press conference held Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at the Radisson Blu Cebu, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer (CEO) Capt. Stanley K. Ng discussed the Philippines’ flag carrier’s serious commitment to expand its Cebu hub, opening fresh routes such as Cebu-Baguio, Cebu-Borangan, Cebu-Bangkok and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) region.

These fresh routes from Cebu hub will be opened by December 2022, in time of the holiday season.

PAL’s decision to create more domestic and overseas routes, which were not available in the past, is not only to capitalize on the “revenge travel” phenomenon, but also to help the government in its effort to make tourism one of the country’s economic growth drivers.

According to Ng, PAL is bullish on Cebu’s promising future, considering the fact that tourism is making a comeback.

PAL officially unveiled its “Larga Ta, Cebu” campaign, which signals the airline’s commitment to connect Cebu to more destinations.

For December 2022, the Philippine flag carrier is pioneering services to link Cebu with Baguio in northern Luzon and Borongan in Eastern Samar.

PAL will also connect Cebu with Cotabato City and Tawi-Tawi, the key commercial and tourist gateways for the BARMM.

Internationally, PAL is resuming flights between Cebu and Bangkok on December 9, adding a new regional connection to PAL’s existing flights between Cebu and Tokyo’s Narita Airport.

“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,” noted Ng.

“We aim 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,” he added.

According to Rabbi Ang, officer-in-charge and president of PAL Express, the Lucio Tan-led airline’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,” Ang said.

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.

New Flights

Beginning December 16, 2022, in a historic first for Philippine aviation, PAL will kick off direct flights between Cebu and Baguio, the Summer Capital of the Philippines.

On December 19, PAL will offer 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.

The flag carrier will mount twice weekly direct flights between Cebu and Cotabato City starting December 1, 2022. 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 BARMM.

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.

Beginning December 9, 2022, PAL will reopen 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," noted Ng.

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.

Philippine Airlines is likewise ramping up flights on other domestic routes to and from Mactan-Cebu airport, Bacolod and Caticlan (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.

 PAL currently operates three weekly flights between Cebu and Tokyo Narita.