Cebu Pacific adds destinations and aircraft

MANILA – After Nagoya and Tokyo out of Manila at the end of March, Cebu Pacific will now launch direct flights between Cebu and Tandag, the capital city of the province of Surigao del Sur, on June 30, 2014. Tandag will be the airline’s 34th domestic destination.
 

 “We’re very proud to be soon launching Cebu-Tandag flights, as part of our continuous commitment to enable everyone to fly. We hope that with direct air services to Tandag and our trademark lowest fares, we can further stimulate travel and trade to Surigao del Sur, for the benefit of the local economy,” said Cebu Pacific VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.
 

According to Philippine Department of Tourism data, tourist arrivals to Surigao del Sur reached approximately 45,000 in 2013. Tandag in Surigao del Sur is the gateway to the Enchanted River, the Britania Group of Islands, Cagwait Beach, Tinuy-an Falls and the surfing spot of Lanuza. “We continue to develop our inter-island network, so an hour and five minute flight can replace longer trips through ferries and buses. This service complements our existing Surigao, Siargao, Butuan services in the Caraga region of Mindanao,” she added. 
 

The route will be served with a 72-seater ATR with three weekly services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It will reinforce Cebu hub operations of Cebu Pacific which already serves direct Camiguin, Dumaguete, Manila; Siargao, Coron, Puerto Princesa, Caticlan (Boracay), Legazpi and Davao.

 

Internationally, Cebu is linked to Hong Kong, Busan and Seoul in Korea as well as Singapore. Flights to Bangkok were cancelled earlier this year. 
 

In another development, the carrier took delivery of the second of three Airbus A330 aircraft it will receive this year. CEB’s brand-new Airbus-A330 arrived at the NAIA Airport last May 18, 2014.

CEB is due to take delivery of one additional Airbus A330 in August 2014. By the end of 2014, the airline will be utilizing five wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft for its long haul operations. With this delivery, CEB now operates a fleet of 52 aircraft comprised of 10 Airbus A319, 30 Airbus A320, 4 Airbus A330 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Between 2014 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 11 more Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo, and 2 Airbus A330 aircraft.