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Elijah Felice Rosales - The Philippine Star
February 13, 2025 | 12:00am
In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said it would start flying direct between Iloilo and Bangkok, through the Don Mueang International Airport, beginning March 31.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is bridging the distance for Ilonggos going to Thailand by putting up weekly flights between Iloilo and Bangkok starting March 31.
In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said it would start flying direct between Iloilo and Bangkok, through the Don Mueang International Airport, beginning March 31.
The service will be operated thrice a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday using a 180-seater Airbus A320 to ferry the passengers.
With this expansion, the Gokongwei-owned airline will become the only carrier offering direct flights between Iloilo and Bangkok. Cebu Pacific will also add its third international route from Iloilo with Bangkok, on top of Hong Kong and Singapore.
Currently, travelers originating from Iloilo have to make a connecting trip to Manila before they can reach Bangkok. Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the service would offer not just a quicker, but also a cheaper way to go to Thailand.
Likewise, Cebu Pacific is heavy on its expansion in Iloilo, optimistic that the hub would grow at a faster pace if more flights are brought in.
“Strengthening our Iloilo hub allows us to connect even more passengers from Western Visayas to exciting destinations across our international network,” Lao said.
To promote the new route, Cebu Pacific is holding a seat sale until February 16, dangling airfares of as low as P1 per way, exclusive of fees and surcharges.
For Ilonggos, the flight gives them access to one of the world’s finest tourist destinations known for Buddhist temples, exotic food and nightlife scene. The service also opens up an opportunity for Iloilo to promote its tourist spots to Thais.
Cebu Pacific, the largest domestic carrier by passenger and fleet size, is aggressive in expanding its flight options in Visayas. In Iloilo, the airline has raised its seat capacity to 249,000 per month as of January, from 136,000 a year ago.
In Cebu, the carrier flew half, at 5.6 million, of the 11.3 million passengers that traveled through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in 2024.
For 2025, Cebu Pacific is keeping an eye out on the potential of its provincial hubs, as it aims to widen its current coverage of 37 domestic destinations and 26 international cities.
