THE PHILIPPINES and Qatar successfully concluded a new round of air talks that would lead to an increase in flights between the two countries by about 75 percent to 14 flights per week, the Civil Aeronautics Board said.
The move was seen to bolster tourism and trade, apart from serving Filipino workers in the Middle East.
CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said in a text message over the weekend that both countries had signed a new memorandum on air services on May 28, 2015, replacing a previous agreement in 2009.
This means Filipino and Qatar carriers will be allowed to mount 14 flights per week each between Manila and Doha, or an additional six flights.
Arcilla said the parties also agreed on unlimited flights between Doha and other airports in the Philippines outside Manila. Previously, the entitlements outside Manila were 14 per week to Clark and 14 per week to Cebu, he said.
Qatar Airways operates eight times per week between Manila and Doha and daily flights for the Clark and Doha route. The increase allows it to operate twice daily Manila-Doha flights by October this year.
Cebu Pacific, the country’s biggest budget carrier, is starting twice weekly flights between Manila and Doha this week.
The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority had said that demand for Filipino workers was increasing given the requirements for the World Cup Tournament that Doha will host in 2022, a letter addressed to the CAB showed.
There are also plans to more than double the Filipino workforce in Qatar to about 800,000 from the current 300,000 ahead of 2022. Miguel R. Camus