HIGH DEMAND. A Cebu Pacific aircraft at the Tacloban Airport. The budget carrier is adding more flights to this city from hubs in Manila and Cebu starting July 2024 to accommodate the rising number of passengers from and to this city. (Photo courtesy of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines)
TACLOBAN CITY – Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) is adding more flights to this city from hubs in Manila and Cebu starting in July to accommodate the rising number of passengers from and to the regional capital of Eastern Visayas.
Carmina Romero, CEB’s director for corporate communications, said that from the current 41 weekly flights to Tacloban from Manila, the number will increase to 48 in July.
For the Cebu-Tacloban-Cebu route, two more flights will be added weekly to the current 17 flights.
“We have been monitoring that there is always a high load for Tacloban the whole year-round that even our team finds it difficult to book,” Romero said in an interview Monday.
While the airport’s limited operation affects bookings, Romero observed that flights to Tacloban are always full, even before the runway repair.
The airport is currently implementing temporary operating hours from May 2 to Aug. 2, 2024 due to the runway asphalt overlay project.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier issued a public notice stating that the airport’s operations are limited to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the period.
Meanwhile, CEB received its fifth aircraft delivery out of the expected 18 new aircraft for 2024, making the airline firm “one of the youngest fleets in the world.”
The aircraft, a fuel-efficient A320neo, arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on May 21.
CEB currently operates a diversified commercial fleet mix of eight Airbus 330s, 39 Airbus 320s, 21 Airbus 321s, and 14 ATR turboprop aircraft.
At present, it flies to 35 domestic and 24 international destinations spread across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. (PNA)
