3 weeks ago
5
Elijah Felice Rosales - The Philippine Star
February 21, 2025 | 12:00am
Cebu Pacific yesterday said it is scaling up its Cebu network by connecting it to Ho Chi Minh through a weekly flight, marking its first service between Visayas and Vietnam.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is bringing the heat to industry rival Philippine Airlines (PAL) by mounting a direct flight between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh, similar to what PAL is about to offer.
Cebu Pacific yesterday said it is scaling up its Cebu network by connecting it to Ho Chi Minh through a weekly flight, marking its first service between Visayas and Vietnam.
The airline owned by the Gokongweis will operate the flight starting April 7 on a thrice weekly frequency – every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Cebu Pacific announced its entry in the Cebu-Ho Chi Minh corridor a week after PAL introduced its newest flight for the same route. Similar to Cebu Pacific’s schedule, PAL will be linking Cebu and Ho Chi Minh thrice a week, too, but the service will commence only by May 2.
Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the airline is spreading its wings in Vietnam to keep up with the demand. He noted that Vietnam is becoming more and more popular these days among Filipinos traveling on a budget.
“As Vietnam continues to grow in popularity among Filipino travelers, launching a new gateway to the country via Ho Chi Minh City is an exciting step for Cebu Pacific,” Lao said.
To date, Cebu Pacific offers the widest coverage in Vietnam via Manila, operating flights to three of its cities, particularly Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang.
To promote its Cebu-Ho Chi Minh launch, Cebu Pacific is holding until Feb. 24 a seat sale where travelers can score air fares of as low as P1 per way.
Ho Chi Minh is one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia for tourists, renowned for its historic Cu Chi Tunnels and street food district Ben Thanh Market. It is also the southern end of the Reunification Express that runs all the way to Hanoi.
Cebu Pacific’s expansion in Cebu is no longer surprising, especially as the airline dominates the province in terms of flight and passenger numbers. In 2024, the carrier flew more than 5.6 million passengers in and out of Cebu.
At that rate, the airline accounted for half of the total traffic of 11.3 million at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is the busiest gateway in the Philippines outside Manila.
Currently, Cebu Pacific sends out 4,824 flights and offers 717,000 seats from Cebu every month, giving passengers more flexibility when going in and out of the province.
