Flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced that it relaunched commercial flights between Clark and Antique on Dec. 16.
This marks the revival of the service that PAL operated from 1956 through 1970 using Douglas DC-3 aircraft, and from 1974 to 1977 using the Hawker Siddeley 748.
PAL said it now operated two flights a week, on Sunday and Tuesday, between Clark International Airport and San Jose de Buenavista, the provincial capital, using its 86-seater Bombardier Next Generation Q400 aircraft.
“This new route empowers Antiqueños to fly straight to the heart of Central Luzon,” PAL vice president for corporate communications Jose Perez de Tagle said in a statement. “More convenient air access helps keep the economy humming in Antique.”
PAL said the route would bolster tourism in Antique, whose local attractions and activities include the Binirayan festival, scuba diving and its hot springs.
PAL’s Q400 aircraft is configured with six Economy Plus premium seats and 80 regular Economy seats. Produced by Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier, the aircraft is mainly used for PAL’s interisland routes.