South East Asian Airlines (Seair) and AirAsia Philippines were recently awarded flight entitlements to Malaysia from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clarkfield, Pampanga., north of Manila.
AirAsia received 1,260 seats weekly for its Clark-Kuala Lumpur flights, and Seair a total of 5,400 seats per week for offerings between Clark and a number of Malaysian cities.
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Atty. Carmelo Arcilla said the CAB board recommended that Seair be given 2,520 seats per week to mount flights between Clark and Kuala Lumpur; 1,260 seats per week for flights between Clark and Kota Kinabalu; and 540 seats per week each to Kuching, Penang, and Langkawi.
Entitlements for other airlines servicing Malaysia out of Manila are still being finalized.
Airphil Express has a pending application for 1,260 weekly seat entitlements for flights from Manila to Kuala Lumpur and Cebu Pacific, for additional 720 seat entitlements per week
Cebu Pacific is planning to offer twice-a-day flights from Manila to Kuala Lumpur or a total of 2,520 seat entitlements.
Earlier, the Philippines and Malaysia amended their air service agreement to include unlimited traffic rights for airlines to service airports outside Manila by virtue of the Philippine open skies policy that took effect in May.
Both countries agreed to increase entitlements by 2,520 seats per week from the current 2,300.
More agreements
Next month, CAB will negotiate two air agreements. On December 8, additional entitlements between the Philippines and Taiwan will be discussed. Services between Manila and Russia may also be opened.
In August, the Philippines closed agreements with Papua New Guinea to increase flight entitlements between the two countries to 600 seats per week from 150 seats per week, including all airports outside Manila at 1,500 seats per week.
The Philippines and Sri Lanka also amended their air services agreement in July by increasing entitlements to four flights a week from two for each side on the Manila to Colombo route.
