The Cebu Pacific Air has announced it will launch on July 1 a direct flight service operation between Manila and Shenzhen as part of its plan to expand its reach in mainland China.
Shenzhen is the 5th destination of Cebu Pacific in mainland China, and is the airline’s 27th international destination.
The CEB management earlier stated it was looking to expand in North Asia, including opening significant new routes and possible new destinations in China.
Flights between Manila and Shenzhen will run four times weekly—Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday—beginning July 1, 2019. At only two hours and 40 minutes’ flying time, the evening departure of the flights will enable travelers to make full use of business hours, both in Manila and in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen, located in Guangdong Province, is part of the booming Pearl River Delta megalopolis. Shenzhen has a continuous development of rail and road links to other cities within the region, including a branch road that connects to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
As China’s first special economic zone, Shenzhen is an important city for sourcing of goods for those engaged in trade. Boasting of shopping complexes, it is also a retail mecca for bargain hunters.
Dubbed as “China’s Silicon Valley,” Shenzhen is one of China’s leading innovation and technology hubs, serving as headquarters for tech giants such as Huawei, BGI, BYD and Tencent.
“We want to provide our travelers a viable option to reach some of the globe’s most crucial commercial centers today. Our new direct service between Manila and Shenzhen will enable faster movement of people and products providing increased mobility and access to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and distribution.
Currently, Cebu Pacific flies 23 times weekly between the Philippines and mainland China, with directly flights between Shanghai, Manila and Cebu; as well as Manila and Beijing, Guangzhou and Xiamen.
The airline also flies 55 times weekly between Hong Kong and Manila, Cebu, Clark and Iloilo and 20 times weekly between Macau and Manila, Clark and Cebu. The carrier also flies 14 times a week between Manila and Taipei.