Macau bound Nov. 17, AirAsia to carry Team Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao will bring his own large entourage to Macau for his Nov. 23 clash with Chris Algieri at The Venetian Hotel.

To make things happen, the Filipino boxing icon has hooked up with AirAsia, a leading budget airline which has agreed to provide Pacquiao and his cheering squad a ride to Macau.

AirAsia will provide not one but two A320 planes for Pacquiao.

Each plane can carry as many as 189 persons, and this early, a Pacquiao insider said there are limited seats left for the two chartered flights.

Pacquiao and at least 360 of his team members, family and friends will leave for Macau from General Santos City on Nov. 17 and will fly back the day after the fight.

Pacquiao may find himself in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only boxer to bring as many people to watch him fight.

Just for comparison, it’s like Pacquiao is bringing in 24 PBA teams to Macau.

Erik Arejola, head of ground operations for Philippines AirAsia, said Pacquiao will sign a deal with AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes today in General Santos City.

Fernandez is the Malaysia-British executive who introduced the first budget airline, AirAsia. In 2001, he mortgaged his home and bought the heavily indebted airline.

From only two aircraft in the hangar, AirAsia now has a fleet of 170.

Fernandez partnered with Filipino sportsman and businessman Mikee Romero in putting up the AirAsia Philippine Patriots team in the Asean Basketball League.

It’s not the first time that Pacquiao has chartered a flight to take him and his team to a fight.

A couple of times, he did it for his family and friends when he flew them from Los Angeles to Dallas, Texas for his fights against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito.

Pacquiao also booked them a special flight to Macau for the Brandon Rios fight last year.

But this is the first time he’s using two planes.