Asian Spirit set to open Manila-Palau route

Asian Spirit is investing P100 million for opening up its first international air route to the western Pacific nation of Palau.

This was announced yesterday by Antonio V. Turalba, chairman of Asian Spirit Inc., during the formal announcement of the airline company’s first international destination.

Asian Spirit, with executives and airline employees among its 36 shareholders, is planning to sell shares to the public next year to comply with a provision in its franchise.

But even as Asian Spirit is still to start flying three times a week to Palau starting April 2, the low budget airline is already initiating talks to fly to other international routes in Malaysia and China.

The fare for Filipinos working in Palau will be half the $660 on Continental Micronesia’s twice-weekly non-stop Manila-Koror service.

According to Turalba, Asian Spirit will utilize its three newly-acquired 100-seater British Aerospace jet.

Asian Spirit, furthermore, is set to take delivery of a fourth BAe jet next month which will service its Palau route as well as its 23 domestic destinations, according to Jack Po, executive vice president of Asian Spirit.

The P100 million that Asian Spirit investing, Po said, is all internally generated.

The additional investment, Po added, would be used for operating expenses, to upgrade Asian Spirit’s terminal here as well as to put up facilities in Palau.

The P100 million additional outlay, Po clarified, does not include the cost of the aircraft as Asian Spirit had a separate outlay for the four BAe jets.

Asian Spirit flies between Manila and Boracay island using four of BAe System PLC’s BAe 146 jet planes and 10 turboprop aircraft made by Bae and Bombadier Inc.’s De Havilland unit, according to vice president Butch Rodriguez.

The new planes, Po further elaborated, are actually being leased from BAe with an option to purchase at the expiry of the lease contract.

Depending on negotiations, Turalba said, Asian Spirit hopes to be able to fly to Sandakan, Malaysia and to Shanghai and Guangzhou, China also within this year.

Asian Spirit, Po said, would allocate additional investments for each new sector it operates.

Asian Spirit’s fare on the new service will be $330 for Filipinos working in Palau and $420 for other passengers, the carrier said.