The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) will hold bilateral air talks Friday with the Australian government to increase flight entitlements between the two countries.
Carmelo Arcilla, CAB executive director, told reporters the Philippines is requesting Australia to increase flight entitlements to 60,000 seats per week, up from the current 30,000.
The Philippine Air Services Negotiating Panel includes officials from the CAB, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Clark International Airport Corp. and representatives of local airline companies.
Arcilla said the government requested the air talks to allow Philippine airlines to expand and meet the growing demand for travel between the two nations.
Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to Melbourne and Sydney. Philippine Airlines (PAL) flies from Manila to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
According to the Department of Tourism, Australian visitors to the Philippines increased to 93,030 in the first three months of the year, a 19.44 percent increase from the same period last year.
