Philippine Airlines (PAL) will soon launch Chengdu-Kalibo and Chengdu-Cebu flights, enabling Chinese passengers to land directly in Central Philippines.
With seven international and 13 domestic destinations, Cebu is PAL’s second hub outside Manila, while Kalibo operates flights to five international and two domestic points.
Travelers from the Visayas will be able to fly direct to Chengdu, located in southwest Sichuan Province and famous for being the home of giant pandas.
Kalibo-Chengdu flights will depart Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, while Chengdu-Kalibo flights will depart Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Cebu-Chengdu flights depart Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while Chengdu-Cebu flights depart Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Aside from the Chengdu service, PAL said it will be mounting more flights to China in the near future.
PAL operates over a hundred flights a week from Manila to China. The carrier flies to eight destinations in the mainland: Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Jinjiang, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Chengdu. This makes China the country where PAL has the most number of flights outside of the Philippines.
“We have been flying here in China since September 1946 when PAL resumed operations after the second world war. PAL first flew to Shanghai with a stopover at Hong Kong. In 1975, PAL flew to Beijing, carrying our country’s President and First Lady, to restore Philippine-China relations. PAL was the first airline to begin regular air service when China re-opened its doors to international trade and commerce. Our network expansion in China is a reflection of the vision of our Chairman Dr. Lucio C. Tan, who foresaw China’s economic boom,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.
PAL vice president for sales Ryan Uy added, “The airline is expanding its fleet, adding new flights and introducing service innovations to attain its goal of becoming a full-service five star airline. The coming new [aircraft] will allow us to open more new routes from China to the Philippines. You can expect more exciting innovations in our products both on ground and inside the airplane. But of course, you should always look forward to the warm and gracious hospitality of our crew showcasing the heart of the Filipino.”
Meanwhile, PAL will be mounting seasonal flights to and from Saipan of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).
The airline will operate twice weekly flights (Wednesdays and Sundays) from June 11 to August 30, 2017, and from December 10, 2017 to February 25, 2018. The flights after March 25, 2018 will be published thereafter.
The seasonal operations aim to leverage the high market demand for the route during specific times of the year, particularly June-October and December-March.
The airline began operating the Saipan route on June 15, 2016. From October 30, 2016 to March 25, 2017, PAL has been flying twice weekly between Manila and Saipan.
