CebuPac seeks PAL’s unused flight entitlements to Haneda

MANILA, Philippines - Budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) is seeking to use the unutilized flight frequencies of national flag carrier Philippine Airlines Inc. to Haneda in its bid to beef up flights to and from Japan.

 In a petition filed before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Cebu Pacific is seeking the reallocation of additional unused flight frequencies of three coefficients weekly seats on the route Manila – Haneda – Manila.

Cebu Pacific said the unutilized seat entitlements were previously allocated to PAL owned by tycoon Lucio Tan. The low cost carrier currently has no flights to Haneda.

 The airline is set to mount four weekly direct flights to Narita in Tokyo, Japan from its hub in Cebu using a brand new Airbus A320 aircraft starting March 26 next year.

 Last March, Cebu Pacific launched direct flights to Tokyo (Narita) and Nagoya in Japan via the Ninoy Aquino international airport in Manila. The airline also flies to Osaka from Manila.

 “We hope to keep contributing to the national tourism agenda, by providing direct access for Japanese leisure travelers to the island of Cebu. Its strategic location in central Philippines makes it the ideal gateway to beach and eco-adventure destinations in other parts of the country,” Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said.

 A month after it launched direct flights, the Japan National Tourism Organization indicated that the Philippines is one of its fastest growing source of foreign visitor arrivals.

 Data from the Department of Tourism showed that foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines went up by 3.27 percent to 3.27 million from January to August this year compared to 3.18 million in the same period last year.

Korea emerged as the major source of foreign tourists with 783,852 in the first eight months of the year followed by the US with 493,338; Japan with 310,901; China with 308,393; and Australia with 140,123.

The government hopes to  attract 10 million foreign tourists into the country by 2016.