Beginning July 1, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific will be operating evening flights to and from Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay Island.
Cebu Pacific will be the first carrier to mount night flights at the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan, making use of the airport’s upgraded air traffic control system and newly installed night navigational equipment.
Cebu Pacific is to add two more round-trip flights daily between Manila and Caticlan, with the last flight leaving Manila at 6:55 p.m. and returning from Caticlan at 8:45 p.m. The new flights will utilize the ATR aircraft under subsidiary Cebgo.
Currently, the last flight from Manila to Caticlan leaves at 3:30 p.m. with the return flight arriving at 5:10 p.m.
In total, Cebu Pacific has 39 flights weekly between Manila and Caticlan, 14 between Cebu and Caticlan, and seven between Clark and Caticlan. The night frequencies will add 12 more flights to Caticlan to bring the airline’s total frequency to 72.
Night operations at Caticlan Airport were given the go-signal following technical reviews and consultations on the facility’s night operation capability among the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and other relevant aviation authorities.
Before the Caticlan night service, Cebu Pacific had mounted night flights to and from Roxas City Airport in Capiz, Laguindingan Airport (Cagayan de Oro) in Misamis Oriental, and Legazpi International Airport in Albay as soon as the night-rated capabilities of these hubs were approved by aviation authorities.
DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said they aim to make all operating airports in the country night-rated.
“We thank CAAP for continually leading the scale-up of our airports to night-flying capability,” Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs Atty. JR Mantaring said in a statement
“We believe that expansion of operating times will not only boost frequencies to key domestic routes, but it will also give travelers more options, greater flexibility on when they fly and also help decongest air traffic, especially during the peak flying hours at noon and early afternoon.”
“The mounting of evening flights to and from Boracay was a long-standing request of tourism stakeholders. We take pride in being able to deliver this need to everyJuan. More frequency will also mean more passengers being able to avail of our lowest year-round fares,” Mantaring added.
