THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is working to connect to more destinations outside Asia to significantly grow its international traffic.
Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, chief executive advisor at GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), said the airport operator is pursuing to link Cebu to Auckland (New Zealand), Brisbane (Australia), Istanbul (Turkey), Helsinki (Finland) and Delhi (India).
He said GMCAC is working with Turkish Airlines and Finnair for the Istanbul and Helsinki routes, respectively.
Harrison projected the Indian market is growing significantly, thus the need for Cebu to open connections to the South Asian country.
The private consortium is also working to connect Cebu to more destinations in the west.
Harrison said the prospective connections to San Francisco in the US and Vancouver in Canada, will probably be made in the “next 12 months.”
By the second quarter of this year, flag carrier Philippine Airlines is reviving its Cebu to Los Angeles route while Qatar Airways is bringing back its direct flight from Doha to Cebu.
“The US, Europe and the Middle East markets have been growing at more than 15 percent,” Harrison said at the investment forum organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020.
The airport executive projected that the Chinese and Korean markets will continue to drive MCIA’s international traffic.
“Korea remains our top market. About 60 percent of Koreans prefer Cebu as a top destination in the Philippines,” Harrison said at the forum attended by businessmen.
He noted that the traffic from China has grown “sixfold in two years,” becoming Cebu’s second largest market.
Citing government data, Harrison said about 53 percent of foreign visitors entering the Philippines go through Cebu as their gateway.
In the last six years, MCIA’s air connectivity grew to 35 domestic and 26 international destinations.
Harrison said the consortium has remained committed to pursuing the airport’s 50-year development plan which includes the construction of a new runway, third terminal and a rail transport system from the airport.
In 2019, MCIA handled 12.66 million passengers, up 11 percent from 11.38 million in 2018.
International passengers grew significantly, hitting 4.29 million, up 14 percent.
Domestic traffic remained a key driver, rising 10 percent to 8.37 million in 2019.
Air traffic volume also rose seven percent to a total of 107,794 flights from January to December 2019.
International and domestic flights grew 12 percent and six percent to 25,439 and 75,010, respectively.
