Cebu Pacific, the country’s biggest budget airline, widened its presence at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga province with the opening on Friday of three new routes, including flights to Tokyo, Japan.
The move opens up tourism and business opportunities for the central Luzon gateway while helping Cebu Pacific ramp up operations as it pursues an aggressive expansion strategy.
Cebu Pacific on Friday also inaugurated daily flights between Clark Airport and Bacolod and Iloilo.
Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific CEO, outlined the company’s long history in Clark Airport, which it first tapped as a hub for daily flights to Cebu 13 years ago.
“Since 2006 we have never stopped flying to Clark. We have always believed in the potential of Clark as a gateway to Manila, to central and northern Luzon, a hub with over 25 million residents,” Gokongwei said during the launch event.
Cebu Pacific will also be the first airline to link Clark Airport to Narita International Airport in Japan with flights to operate four times a week.
The new routes will help make Cebu Pacific the largest carrier in Clark Airpo
Clark Airport is also being positioned as an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
The Gokongweis are doubling down on their investment in Clark as the family’s JG Summit Holdings, a property, food, retail and airline conglomerate, is part of the consortium that will operate the Pampanga gateway.
Cebu Pacific earlier announced the start of daily flights between Clark and Puerto Princesa in Palawan by the fourth quarter of 2019.
The four new routes will boost Cebu Pacific’s total capacity in Clark by 40 percent in 2019 alone. This follows a 75-percent increase in 2018 with the launch of direct commercial air service to and from Davao and Panglao (Bohol) as well as additional frequency for the Clark-Macau route.