Cebu airport adding 11 flight routes

MANILA, Philippines — The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is annexing 11 new connections to its network throughout the fourth quarter, as airlines gain confidence to expand reach from the gateway.

In an advisory, MCIA announced the launch of 11 new flights, to be introduced by six airlines, between October and December, when demand for air travel is highest.

By Oct. 26, Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest carrier by fleet and passenger size, is bringing in daily flights to El Nido, while flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is putting up weekly trips to Calbayog.

By Nov. 15, low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines is putting up twice daily flights to Kuala Lumpur and thrice a week services to Macau. The airline is also pairing this with weekly trips to Davao (18 times), Caticlan (11 times) and Iloilo (four times).

By Dec. 2, low-cost airline Firefly will be linking Cebu and Kuala Lumpur on a five times a week frequency. By Dec. 3, flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will introduce its weekly flights between Cebu and Hanoi, the first of its kind in MCIA.

Also by Dec. 3, low-cost carrier Jetstar is connecting Cebu and Brisbane on a thrice a week schedule, making the flight MCIA’s lone direct service to Australia.

PAL will wrap up the holiday expansion in MCIA on December 4, launching non-stop flights to Guam to give Cebu its only direct access to a US island territory.

MCIA is gaining the attention of local and foreign carriers not just for the volume of passengers it serves, but for its quality of infrastructure and service as well.

The Skytrax World Airport Awards, the prestigious aviation award-giving body, named MCIA as the seventh most improved gateway in the world. The airport was recognized for developments in its infrastructure and services for the comfort and convenience of passengers.

Meanwhile, travelers booking a trip for the Christmas season can expect fares to remain the same in November. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is retaining the fuel surcharge at Level 4 next month to keep the pass-on fee the same as it was this October.

At Level 4, airlines can impose a fuel surcharge of P117 to P342 for domestic flights and P385.7 to P2,867.82 for international services, depending on the distance.

Jet fuel prices have gone down by one percent to $89.56 per barrel as of Oct. 17 compared to a month ago, according to the tracker of the International Air Transport Association.