PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will soon operate three flights a week on the Borongan-Cebu route to meet the consistently high demand since the route's inception in 2022, according to Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda.
"This is a significant step in making travel more accessible for Boronganons and residents of nearby towns, not only in our province but also in the adjacent areas of Northern Samar," the mayor announced on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
"The new Wednesday flight will be added to the existing Monday and Friday schedule, with the expansion set to begin before the end of September," Agda added, as he lauded the "strong support from the community and the riding public."
Rupert Ambil, chairman of Flight Operations and city information officer, said their team “is focused on continuously improving systems to support the needs of national agencies and simplify travel for everyone.”
“Our dream was to establish a sustainable model for a commercial airline operator to partner with us. Now, we have achieved more than we initially aimed for... The key takeaway is that we need more flights with the same aircraft capacity, not necessarily a larger aircraft, to maintain sustainability," Ambil said in a statement.
Borongan City in Eastern Samar province is the only local government unit (LGU) in the country to have donated a passenger departure terminal to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).
“Additionally, it is the only LGU to offer a free shuttle service to and from the airport on flight days,” Ambil added. (Ronald O. Reyes)