Philippine Airlines (PAL) is boosting its Cebu hub network by adding more flights and increasing the number of seats available amid a surge in travel during the peak summer season.
The country’s flag carrier will operate 287 weekly roundtrip domestic flights between Mactan-Cebu Airport and 18 destinations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, increasing flight frequency by 10 percent starting April 2025.
It said that on top of frequency increases, PAL would boost seat capacity by using larger aircraft on certain routes, such as 199-seater Airbus A321s in lieu of 86-seater De Havilland Dash 8-400 NGs.
With the added flights and aircraft upgrades, PAL’s weekly seat capacity to and from Cebu will increase by over 39,000 seats, reflecting an uptick of 17 percent.
These additional services give summer travelers the flexibility to choose from a wider array of flights serving idyllic Boracay, breathtaking Coron, the renowned surfing capital Siargao, and the myriad wonders of Palawan province, home of the famed underground river in Puerto Princesa.
PAL flights from Cebu to Boracay and Siargao, two of the country’s top island-destinations, will increase from 14 to 21 weekly Cebu-Caticlan flights, and 18 to 26 weekly Cebu-Siargao flights, respectively.
Cebu hub services to and from Palawan will likewise get a boost, from 7 to 14 weekly flights between Cebu and Puerto Princesa; and from 14 to 17 weekly flights between Cebu and Coron (Busuanga). Cebu – Tacloban v.v. services will go up to 14 weekly flights while Cebu – Davao v.v. services will increase to 29 flights weekly.
“We invite travelers to make the most of the peak summer season by flying to these exciting destinations from Mactan-Cebu, our growing hub in the Central Philippines,” PAL Express president Rabbi Vincent Ang said.
“These additional flights and greater seat capacity reflect our flag carrier’s commitment to increase connectivity, to boost the economy, and help drive tourism across our inter-island network from Cebu,” he said.
PAL’s Cebu network operates 11 daily flights to Manila and includes new connections from Catarman to Cebu, now operating with three weekly flights, offering Samar residents improved access to Cebu and Central Visayas.
PAL is also expanding its international flight offerings from its Cebu hub, having introduced Cebu – Osaka flights last December and scheduled to begin Cebu – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) flights in May. Additionally, PAL connects Cebu to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon.
The expanded Cebu hub reflects PAL’s ongoing efforts to strengthen connectivity, bolster tourism, and stimulate local economies.
PAL operates a global network of nonstop flights out of hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark and Davao to 31 destinations in the Philippines and 37 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia and the Middle East.