ADDITIONAL FLIGHT. A Philippine Airlines (PAL) aircraft lands in Borongan City in Eastern Samar province in this undated photo. PAL is adding flights to Borongan City from Cebu City due to consistent high demand for air travel to the province, the city government announced on Thursday (Sept. 5, 2024). (File photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – Philippine Airlines is adding flights to Borongan City in Eastern Samar from Cebu City due to consistent high demand for air travel to the province, the city government announced on Thursday.
Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said in a statement that PAL will be launching a third weekly flight every Wednesday for the Cebu-Borongan route.
The local government said this new flight will be added to the existing Monday and Friday schedule, with the expansion set to begin before the end of September. The decision came in response to the consistently high demand for flights since the route's inception in 2022.
Agda attributed the success of the Borongan flight route primarily to the strong support from local government officials, community, and the travelers.
"This is a significant step in making travel more accessible for the people of Borongan and residents of nearby towns, not only in our province but also in the adjacent areas of Northern Samar," Agda said.
PAL is the only airline company that is currently servicing Borongan City Airport. The airline firm has been offering two flights a week, every Monday and Friday, from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Borongan City Airport via Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
City information office chief and chairperson of flight operations Rupert Ambil II said there is a high demand for mid-week flights from locals.
“The connecting hub of Borongan is Cebu. From Cebu, travelers from Eastern Samar can fly to Manila and to any PAL stations in the country,” Ambil said in a phone interview.
He said that at least 17,539 passengers booked the Manila-Cebu-Borongan flights since the airline’s opening of the route on Dec. 19, 2022 until June 2024.
To help sustain PAL’s operation, the Borongan city government donated a passenger departure terminal to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. The city government also offers a free shuttle service to and from the airport on flight days. (PNA)
