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'There is quite a high demand in terms of beach destinations and leisure destinations,' says Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific
MANILA, Philippines – Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific will starting serving flights to El Nido and Coron (Busuanga) from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.
The flights will be operated daily beginning March 30.
“We always try to take a look at how to optimize markets and take a look at what consumers would like or what our customers really want,” Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific, said in a press conference on Tuesday, January 28.
“There is quite a high demand in terms of beach destinations and leisure destinations.”
Palawan is known for its scenic beaches. Coron, one of the province’s islands, is known for its white-sand beaches and lakes. Tourists also flock to Coron to go diving. (READ: How to spend your trip to Coron, Palawan)
El Nido, on the other hand, is also known for its white-sand beaches and lagoons. Direct flights to the popular tourist destination have only been operated by AirSWIFT Transport Incorporated, which Cebu Pacific acquired in October last year.
Flights to El Nido and Coron will be operated by Cebgo Incorporated (Cebgo), Cebu Pacific’s subsidiary offering domestic flights.
The budget airline said it has yet to integrate the flights operated by AirSWIFT.
“For AirSWIFT, their core competency is servicing El Nido so we believe, at least for the short term, that should be their continued focus. They’ll continue to service El Nido from Manila, they’ll continue to service El Nido with other inter-island routes,” Lao said.
However, he did note that “in a few months, that’s probably going to change.”
The launch of the new routes comes just as Cebu Pacific transferred its flights to Siargao and Masbate to Clark International Airport. This is in line with the government’s plan to move turboprop operations out of the country’s main international gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Cebu Pacific is currently the biggest airline operator in Clark, serving 11 domestic flights on top of flights to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Narita, and Singapore. The airline served over 1 million passengers from the airport in 2024, operating a total of 872 flights from Pampanga.
“Having now a Clark-El Nido service in our network makes it easier for international inbound travelers to then connect onto our network,” Cebu Pacific chief marketing officer Candice Iyog said.
– Rappler.com
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