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Saturday, July 09, 2005
Korean airline firm to proceed with Cebu-Korea maiden flights
Despite the political crisis in the country, Korean businessmen are determined to start flying the Cebu-South Korea route on July 16.
Kyoung Juhn Ahn, regional manager of Asiana Airlines, told Sun.Star Cebu that Asiana Airlines will fly to Mactan-Cebu International Airport four times a week using an Airbus 321-200 with a capacity of 177 passengers—12 for business class and 165 for economy passengers.
He said the flights will be on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.
Kyoung said they decided to open the direct route because of the increasing number of Koreans visiting Cebu and other parts of the Philippines.
“We expect 80 to 100 percent bookings on every trip,” Kyoung said.
Over 94,000 Koreans visited Cebu last year, according to the Department of Tourism Central Visayas Office.
Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. Regional Manager for Asia Pacific Travel Trade Sales and Promotion Maricon Basco-Ebron earlier also said Korea now ranks third in tourism arrivals to the Philippines with a growth rate of 24.6 percent in 2004.
Although it will open its office inside Mactan Airport next week, Asiana Airlines will not recruit employees but just hire the services of the Visayas Aviation Services Corp. (Vascor).
Vascor assistant station manager Roy V. Miñoza said his office will provide Asiana Airlines with services like the handling of passengers, cargo and all other aspects of airport operations.
But he also admitted that “we need a Korean interpreter to facilitate good communication lines between Koreans and Filipinos.”
During a recent visit to Badian town in Cebu, Korean Ambassador Myung-Hwan Yu said the increasing number of South Korean tourists is giving a market to both Asiana and Korean Airlines.
General Manager Adelberto Yap of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, said the entry of Asiana Airlines and Korean Airlines will be good for Cebu.
“Imagine, if there are 2,000 more Koreans coming to Cebu, spending at least $1,000 each, that is a huge amount to infuse into Cebu’s economy,” Yap said.
This, despite calls for President Gloria Arroyo’s resignation from 10 of her former Cabinet secretaries and Corazon Aquino, among others.
The opposition has accused her of cheating in last year’s elections. (EOB)
(July 9, 2005 issue)
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