Airlines Launches Direct Cebu-El Nido, Palawan Flights

AirSWIFT, operated by the Island Transvoyager Inc., has launched its daily direct flight from Cebu to El Nido in Palawan.

“It goes without saying that Cebu and El Nido are two of the top destinations in the Philippines, and until today it was extremely difficult to get from one place to the other,” AirSWIFT general manager Alfie Reyes said.

Its 50-seater aircraft flies from El Nido to Cebu at 12:55 p.m. every day, and the expected time of arrival is 2:35 p.m.

Daily flight from Cebu to El Nido is scheduled at 3:15 p.m., and the expected time of arrival is 4:55 p.m.

“We are confident that there will be a good market for this in Cebu,” Reyes said.

Before the direct Cebu-El Nido flight, Reyes said tourists had to fly to Manila to get a flight to the famed Palawan destination.

There are flights from Cebu to Puerto Princesa, Palawan but from Puerto Princesa, one has to take a land trip for six hours to El Nido.

El Nido was hailed as the most beautiful beach in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, a US travel magazine that conducts a poll among its readers every year.

Palawan was also named the most beautiful island in the world by the magazine.

El Nido is known for white sand beaches and several limestone formations.

It is also popular for eco-adventure, offering island hopping, rock climbing and diving, among other activities.

AirSWIFT is the only airline that flies commercially on a regular basis directly to El Nido.

It flies four times every day from Manila to El Nido and also four times from El Nido to Manila.

It also offers chartered flights to El Nido, where it operates a private airport.

The airline company is ISO-certified and has passed quality and safety audits evaluation of various multinational corporations. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS