LIFE Well Traveled can officially take off from Davao and it called for a celebration.
It may have taken 72 years for the Cathay Pacific to finally come to Mindanao since its maiden flight to Manila in 1946, but the first flight to Hong Kong was a very welcome addition to Davao’s direct links to key cities abroad.
Aboard the airline’s maiden flight from Hong Kong to Davao were Cathay Pacific executives with Hong Kong’s VIP delegation from the business and tourism sectors; and with all seats taken, the Davao to Hong Kong maiden flight departed smoothly on schedule.
“Direct flights is the way to go,” said Davao-first timer Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific Commercial & Cargo director, who led the high-profile delegation from Hong Kong, “It eliminates the any inconvenience that may arise in connecting flights.” Davao travelers can now fly directly to Hong Kong and not go through Manila or Cebu.
Lam shared that it’s an unprecedented expansion for the airlines this 2018. Davao is one of the 10 destinations they are commencing this year, an addition to the more than 200 destinations Cathay Pacific flies to worldwide.
“Davao has been in our radar screen for quite some time, and it is great to finally see Davao directly linked with our home, Hong Kong, for the very time with non-stop flights. The new Davao service will fly four time a week using Cathay Dragon’s A320 aircraft. Looking ahead, advance bookings are very promising, which shows that our confidence in launching Davao was very well placed,” adding that they adding another eight flights between November and December to cater to the peak-season demand.
DOTC Secretary Arthur Tugade said to the Cathay Pacific Group, “I would like to express personally our gratitude, the government’s gratitude, to your contribution as an institution in the affair of economic development,” stating that the airline helped in providing mobility and connectivity, a platform all government should pursue to guarantee development and growth.
The commencement of the Davao-Hong Kong link also opens travel to the rest of the destinations Cathay Pacific flies to across the globe from Hong Kong.
Congratulations to Cathay Pacific and thank you for connecting Davao directly to Hong Kong. I am looking forward to experiencing a “Life Well Traveled” with the airline to Hong Kong and to the rest of the world.
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