Tigerair eyes Cebu as next international hub

CEBU, Philippines - Low-cost airline Tiger Airways Philippines (Tigerair Philippines) is eyeing to make Cebu as its new hub, next to Clark.

This was announced yesterday by Tigerair Philippines president and chief executive officer Olive Ramos in a press conference held at Crown Regency Hotel.

Tigerair Philippines, which is 40 percent owned by Singaporean Tiger Air Holdings, entered the promising low budget air transport industry in the Philippines in July of last year. The 60 percent stake is owned by a consortium of Filipino investors.

At present, the airline flies to 14 destinations, four of these are out of Clark to different countries in Asia, like Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, and one direct flight from Kalibo to Singapore.

Cebu, known as one of the favorite destinations for business and leisure, has huge potential in hosting more domestic and international flights, she said.

Tigerair Philippines is currently working with the Civil Aviation Board (CAB) to get air entitlements to fly from Cebu to Japan, Korea, and China. She hopes to get the entitlements for these target destinations within this year.

To complement its aggressive expansion plan, Ramos also bared the company's plan to lease more aircrafts starting next year.

She added a Tiger Lounge will be opened at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in September this year,  to efficiently service its growing customers.

Tigerair Philippines aims to be the leading airline and travel partner connecting Filipinos to the rest of the country and across Asia-Pacific. As a company, it believes that travelers should get the best value for money by offering excellent service standards of safety, security, and reliability.

"We strongly believe that travel experience begins at the airport—from the check-in process to leading you  to your seat and flying you smoothly to your destination is what Tigerair is all about," Ramos concluded. /JOB (FREEMAN)