TO aid in the decongestion of the Manila airport, an airline executive disclosed that Cebu will be his company’s priority as it expands its fleet and increases the number of flights to various domestic and international destinations. “Cebu is a priority of AirAsia…We are looking at expanding our routes in Cebu,” said Philippines AirAsia director of flight operations captain Gomer Monreal in a press conference last Saturday.
The airline company launched on Saturday new routes connecting Cebu to three domestic destinations, namely Davao, Boracay via Caticlan airport, and Puerto Princesa. AirAsia has added two new daily flights from Cebu to Davao, and to Puerto Princesa and Caticlan. This is on top of its existing routes Cebu-Singapore, Cebu-Taipei, Cebu-Kuala Lumpur, and Cebu-Incheon/Seoul. Aside from Cebu, AirAsia has also expanded its Davao routes to Cebu twice daily, added daily flights to Boracay, three times weekly to Palawan, and four times weekly to Clark.
“The plans are on the table but these are variable. We already have a hub here. All we have to do is expand the frequency,” said Monreal. With AirAsia’s interest for expansion in Cebu, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) chief commercial adviser Ravishankar Saravu said this will make Cebu a more popular destination. “With more Cebu routes, this will reduce the congestion in Manila. (In Cebu airport) we are trying to improve the transfer of domestic and international flights,” said Saravu. Presently, MCIA is connected to 27 domestic destinations and 16 international destinations.