Cebu Pacific is expanding its network from its hubs in Clark and Cebu this year on increasing demand from tourists for more direct and seamless connections.
Cebu Pacific chief operations officer Michael Ivan Shau said the airline would launch three new domestic routes from the Clark International Airport.
The airline, owned by the Gokongwei family, will mount daily flights between its hubs in Clark and Iloilo, as well as between Clark and Bacolod, starting August 9, 2019.
Beginning October 9, 2019, Cebu Pacific will mount daily flights between Clark and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
“There’s still a lot of opportunity for expansion within the Philippines—inter-island connections from key cities like Clark and Cebu. We believe that there is a significant untapped market in northern provinces in the Philippines,” Shau said.
“Creating direct links between domestic destinations and our other hubs will spur tourism and movement of goods and investments, whilst doing away with having to pass through the main hub in Manila,” he added.
The Clark International Airport has served as the hub for North and Central Luzon of Cebu Pacific for the past 10 years. It has emerged as one of Asia’s fastest-growing airports, with passenger volume breaching 2.5 million in 2018.
Over the past six months, the airline has boosted frequency in Clark by over 75 percent, with direct connections to Cebu, Caticlan, Tagbilaran, Davao, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong.
“We are also in the final stages of launching a new route between Cebu and mainland China. We’ll have more details on that soon,” Shau said.
Cebu Pacific earlier said it would expand capacity in its Cebu hub by as much as 20 percent in 2019. Routes in development for its Cebu hub are focused on North Asia markets such as China, Korea, and Japan.
“The Philippines is the closest tropical destination from North Asia. Cebu and the 166 islands within the province alone boast of some of the best tropical getaways in the world. It’s a logical choice to be our ‘beach hub’ with easier access to world-class beaches, dive spots and resorts,” Shau said.
From Cebu, the airline mounts direct flights to Bacolod, Caticlan (Boracay), Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Calbayog, Camiguin, Clark, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legazpi, Ozamis, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Hong Kong, Macau, Tokyo (Narita), Singapore and Incheon.