THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) has ramped up its operations as it welcomes Cebu Pacific’s new route to Naga City starting Sunday, March 26, 2023. The Cebu to Naga route is the first and only direct service that connects Cebu to Camarines Sur Province.
“Cebu Pacific Air remains to be one of our dynamic airline partners that shares our vision of expanding MCIA’s network as a hub. MCIA remains committed to offering wider connectivity for its passengers with more options to connect to their destinations in the Philippines and around the globe,” Rafael Aboitiz, GMCAC director, said in a statement on Monday, March 27.
Flying four times weekly, the flight departs MCIA at noon and arrives at Naga Airport at 1:45 p.m., while the return flight leaves Naga Airport at 2:05 p.m. and arrives at MCIA at 4:50 p.m.
The Gokongwei-owned carrier has also resumed its Cebu to Hong Kong direct service on March 26, with daily flights departing Cebu at 6:05 a.m. and arriving at Hong Kong International Airport at 8:55 a.m. The return flight departs Hong Kong at 9:40 a.m. and arrives at MCIA at 12:35 p.m.
Passengers of both Naga and Hong Kong flights were delighted with tokens upon arrival and prior to boarding.
“I am excited that we finally hit the two-digit mark for international destinations. Cebu Pacific continues to be one of our top-performing airline partners and I am positive this is a step closer to our goal of becoming one of the best airports in Asia.” said Julius Neri Jr., general manager and chief executive officer of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority.
MCIA is now connected to 27 domestic destinations and 10 international destinations, with 14 foreign and four Philippine-based airline partners.
During the recently concluded Routes Asia 203, MCIA bared plans on international route revival this year, as the country’s second busiest air hub eyes a spike in capacity following the reopening of many key markets to Cebu.
Aines Librodo, head of airline marketing and tourism development at airport operator GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., told the New York-based Aviation Week Network that the new airline partners have provided a boost as the recovery kicks in. She said international traffic remains “a work in progress.”
“More than 60 percent of Cebu’s traffic comes from North Asia and, except for Korea, service from Japan and China has been slow to resume,” she says. “We closed 2022 with about half of our destinations reopened, but the number of pre-pandemic international passengers was lower by 64 percent,” Librodo was quoted as saying by aviation data provider Routesonline.
She said load factors for flights to South Korea are in the “high 80s” and the airport expects additional frequencies such as the demand. She also highlighted Singapore as a standout performer, with flight frequencies back to 21 per week, down by just five from 2019 levels.
“We are focused on the resumption of our pre-pandemic connectivity. We hope to increase capacity on unserved and underserved routes to destinations in Southeast Asia including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and several points in Vietnam,” the official said.