Cebu Pacific opens Zambo-Tawi-Tawi route

Thursday, October 13, 2011

THE maiden flight of Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), the country's largest national flag carrier, for the Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi route will take off early Friday from Zamboanga City.

The maiden flight will depart from the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) at 6:25 a.m. and will arrive in the province of Tawi-Tawi via the Sanga-Sanga Airport in Bongao, the province' capital town, at 7:25 a.m.

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The regular daily flight from Tawi-Tawi is scheduled to depart at 7:55 a.m. and to arrive at 8:55 a.m. at ZIA.

“CEB offers the lowest fare between Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi, its 50th destination. We are very optimistic about our Zamboanga operations, especially that this is our fourth route from this commercial center in Western Mindanao. We can see that the market for Cebu Pacific flights can really be stimulated by our trademark low fares,” said CEB Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog Thursday.

Representatives from the local government and community stakeholders are among CEB’s first passengers from Zamboanga City to Tawi-Tawi on Friday.

CEB's lowest year-round fare for the Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi route is P599 and the new route would be served by an airbus (A319).

The Sanga-Sanga Airport already has the capability as its runway was extended from 1,608 meters to 1,930 meters in length and widened from 18 meters to 30 meters in width two years ago.

The United States Agency for International Development through its Growth with Equity Program chipped in P100 million, while the Philippine government contributed P92.2 million as its counterpart for the expansion and widening of the Sanga-Sanga Airport. (Bong Garcia)