MCIA seeks more China traffic with Quanzhou airport tie-up

MANILA, Philippines – Aboitiz-run Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is expanding its partnership with Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport in Fujian, China, with plans to pursue new air links and encourage tourism and investment flows between the two destinations.

This comes after the relaunch of Cebu-Quanzhou direct flights through Xiamen Air on March 29.

READ: Cebu-Quanzhou direct flights resume amid China travel push

MCIA said the partnership establishes a quarterly exchange working committee with the Chinese gateway, focused on route development and identifying commercial opportunities that could support tourism and economic activity.

The collaboration will also cover the use of artificial intelligence in airport operations, as well as safety, security and operational resilience initiatives.

“Even during periods of uncertainty, including rising fuel costs and other industry headwinds, we have continued to work together to sustain connectivity, support tourism, and create opportunities for our communities,” said Aboitiz InfraCapital Airports CEO Athanasios Titonis.

China remains a key tourism market for the Philippines, emerging as the fifth-largest source of foreign visitors as of May.

The Department of Tourism earlier said it was counting on Chinese arrivals to help boost visitor numbers this year, particularly after the government granted Chinese tourists a 14-day visa-free privilege in January.

Titonis said the airport partnership also builds on longstanding ties between Cebu and Fujian, which formalized a sister-province relationship in 2018 to promote cooperation in tourism, trade and cultural exchanges.

“The relationship between the Philippines and China has long been shaped by trade, cultural exchange, and people-to-people connections,” he said.

MCIA said the working committee would allow leadership and operational teams from both airports, along with Xiamen Air, to regularly exchange insights, monitor progress and explore joint initiatives.

This partnership forms part of MCIA’s efforts to strengthen connectivity with China and attract more visitors through the country’s second-busiest airport, which handled 11.6 million passengers in 2025.

MCIA is part of Aboitiz InfraCapital’s airport portfolio, which also includes Bohol-Panglao International Airport and Laguindingan International Airport. year, particularly after the government granted Chinese tourists a 14-day visa-free privilege in January.

Apart from the Cebu-Quanzhou route, air connectivity between the Philippines and China has also expanded in recent months, with Xiamen Air launching Chongqing-Manila and Hangzhou-Manila flights, and Qingdao Airlines opening a Changsha-Manila route in May.

Titonis said the airport partnership also builds on longstanding ties between Cebu and Fujian, which formalized a sister-province relationship in 2018 to promote cooperation in tourism, trade and cultural exchanges. INQ