Local airlines spreading their wings more as pandemic wanes
Local airlines have been ramping up flights to other countries to address increasing demand for air mobility as international travel returns.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) will resume its Manila-Bali, Indonesia route by July 1, flying thrice weekly. The flag carrier will add two weekly flights by Aug. 1 and another two by Oct. 4. In the latter part of the year, PAL will have a total of seven weekly flights to Bali. “We are excited to be able to fly leisure and business travelers to Bali, one of the world’s most spectacular and beloved destinations,” PAL vice president for sales Bud Britanico said.
By July 2, Cebu Pacific will offer a total of 10 flights from Manila to Dubai every week. “This is a chance for every Juan to experience a bit of what Dubai has to offer – from its megastructures, shopping, food and cultural heritage. With the easing of travel protocols in and out of the country, travelers also need not worry about hassles when coming back to the Philippines,” said Xander Lao, chief commercial officer of the Gokongwei-led budget carrier.
Earlier this month, Cebu Pacific announced the increase in its weekly flights from Manila to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Osaka. It is also set to reopen routes to Seoul, Nagoya and Sydney.
Meanwhile, AirAsia Philippines resumed flights to Seoul on Tuesday after recently relaunching routes to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and Hong Kong. “In 2022, we are aggressive in growing our flight frequency and route network,” said Steve Dailisan, the airline’s spokesperson and head of communications and public affairs.
Anticipating full restoration of operations by the end of this year, he said that AirAsia has already attained 80 percent of its prepandemic flight capacity as of the second quarter.
“With additional flights, we expect tremendous growth in our ancillary businesses like baggage, meals, and even hot seats. The situation is truly looking up for all lines of businesses in aviation this year,” Dailisan added.
The recent easing of mobility restrictions, along with the reopening of borders, has helped in boosting passenger traffic recently.
