Budget carrier Philippines AirAsia is enhancing its route with the introduction of a new one from Cebu to Shenzhen, China.
Starting on May 9, AirAsia will fly daily directly between Cebu and Shenzhen, making that city its first Chinese destination out of the Queen City of the South.
“The addition of our first China route from the Cebu hub enables us to further strengthen our network outside Metro Manila and open up new and exciting places to visit this summer,” Philippines AirAsia CEO Dexter Comendador said last Sunday.
Shenzhen is located in the Pearl River Delta metropolitan area and is one of the major economic hubs of China.
Known as “China’s Silicon Valley,” Shenzhen is home to some of the top start-up and tech businesses in the world, including the headquarters of popular global companies such as Huawei, BYD and ZTE.
“Cebuano travelers would be delighted to experience Shenzhen’s modern metropolis and marvel at how the southern city that links Hong Kong to mainland China built the world’s largest electric bus fleet, massive malls, contemporary buildings and amusement parks,” Comendador said.
AirAsia is strengthening its operations outside Metro Manila due to capacity constraints in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
It has a fleet of 17 planes as of end-December. For 2018 it is expected to take delivery of five more jets, bringing its fleet to 22 planes by end-2018.