Balesin Club buys 5th aircraft for $8M

Balesin’s new ATR72 500 lands at NAIA

UPSCALE Balesin Island Club has invested around $8 million to acquire a new 68-seater aircraft – the fifth in its fleet – to boost its daily capacity to fly guests to the tropical island-resort.

In a press statement on Wednesday, the club announced the acquisition of a new ATR72 500, described as “one of the most popular regional aircrafts worldwide.” 

Balesin said the new aircraft had landed on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Tuesday after a four-day ferry flight from Toulouse, France.  The newly acquired ATR72 can do five round trips from Manila to Balesin per day, depending on slots allowed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

“After completing the necessary regulatory requirements, the plane will be in service for Balesin Island Club members and guests by next week,” the statement said.

Balesin is a 500-hectare tropical island resort with 7.3 kilometers of pristine white-sand beaches. It is located 21 kilometers southeast of Polillo, Quezon Province and 60 nautical miles east of Manila, Balesin. It takes around 20 minutes to fly to this island from Manila.

Patterned after some of the most luxurious beachside resorts around the world, Balesin has a main clubhouse and destination spa as the centerpiece alongside seven themed villages with numerous villas and suites. The themed villages include Balesin, Bali, Phuket, Mykonos, St. Tropez, Costa del Sol and Toscana. Balesin has also put up “Aegle Wellness Center” which offers world-class diagnostic facilities and medical team.

Balesin’s developer Alphaland Corp. is led by businessman Roberto V. Ongpin.