CEBUANOS and tourists can expect an elevated flight experience with the newly inaugurated direct flights from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The new route was launched with Cebu Pacific’s (CebPac) inaugural flight to Ho Chi Minh on Monday, April 7, 2025, marking the beginning of three weekly direct flights to the Southeast Asian destination.
MCIA General Manager Julius Neri Jr., in a message to SunStar Cebu, anticipates increased incoming tourism traffic from Vietnam and neighboring countries. He emphasized the airport’s commitment to providing an excellent customer experience to encourage repeat visits.
“We expect people from the Visayas and Mindanao who want to visit Vietnam to fly to Ho Chi Minh via Mactan as it will be both cheaper and more convenient for them,” said Neri.
On the other hand, CebPac marketing director Michelle Eve De Guzman made the announcement during her opening remarks on Monday at the Terminal 2’s Departure Area Boarding Gate of MCIA.
De Guzman said the new service aims to strengthen connectivity between international flights and the local airport.
“Our direct flights ensure a more accessible and affordable journey for [everyone]. No more layovers, just an easy and convenient way to experience the charm of Vietnam,” said De Guzman.
“We remain committed to expanding our footprint in Cebu to allow more passengers from Central Visayas to explore the world and vice versa,” she added.
With this addition, De Guzman shared that CebuPac now operates a total of seven international and 24 domestic routes. These include newly launched flights from Cebu to Masbate, Port Barton, San Vicente in Palawan, Don Mueang Bangkok, Thailand and Osaka City, Japan.
The private airline company is also set to increase its capacity in Cebu by 18 percent year-on-year, adding over 89,000 additional seats.
Jose Maria Miranda Jr., a passenger on the inaugural flight, expressed excitement about flying to Ho Chi Minh for the first time and hopes CebuPac will offer more flights in the future.
Mark Souter, Aboitiz InfraCapital Cebu Airport Corp.’s chief airline marketing officer, in an interview with reporters, said that the addition of the Ho Chi Minh route positively impacts the airport by offering more opportunities for travelers to visit MCIA.
Souter also revealed that the airport, in collaboration with partner airlines, has more new routes in development.
“We are working on new routes constantly. There’s a lot of new routes coming in the pipeline so we are increasing capacity with our airlines,” said Souter.
MCIA is a key airport serving Cebu and the southern Philippines and was recognized as the Best Airport in the Asia-Pacific Region by the International Airports Council. / DPC