Philippine Airlines (PAL) said Friday it is relaunching its nonstop flights between Mactan-Cebu and Osaka Kansai on Dec. 22, 2024.
It said the strategic move represents a significant expansion of the airline’s network in Japan, the Philippines’ fourth-largest source of tourist visitors and home to over 300,000 overseas Filipinos.
The three weekly PAL flights provide direct access to Cebu and the central Philippines for tourists and business travelers from the western regions of Japan. By Feb. 26, 2025, the airline will add an extra weekly frequency to accommodate the growing number of travelers.
“We are delighted to make our comeback in the Cebu-Osaka market, just in time for the Christmas holiday season. Our direct flights from Mactan to Kansai will help us promote the tourism industry and local businesses in Cebu and the Visayas region, and deepen both bilateral relations and cultural ties with our Japanese counterparts,” Capt. Stanley Ng, PAL president and chief operating officer, said.
“Philippine Airlines looks forward to giving travelers from Western Japan the opportunity to experience the outstanding resorts and heritage experiences that Cebu is famous for, or to reunite with loved ones in the Philippines,” he said.
Travelers from Osaka may connect seamlessly in Cebu with PAL’s flights to various domestic points, including Bacolod, Borongan, Busuanga (Coron), Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan (Boracay), Clark, Cotabato, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Tacloban and Zamboanga.
PAL is deploying a 199-seater Airbus A321 CEO for the Cebu-Osaka service.
The resumption of Cebu-Osaka services complements PAL’s twice daily flights between Manila and Osaka Kansai and daily flights between Cebu and Tokyo Narita.
Altogether, PAL offers the largest network of flights on multiple routes linking the Philippines and Japan, with nonstop services to Osaka Kansai, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita. PAL also offers other international links from Cebu, with daily flights to Seoul (Incheon) and thrice weekly flights to Bangkok.
