More Foreign Airlines Express Interest To Operate In Mactan Airport – DOT Exec

More foreign airlines have expressed interest in operating at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), a tourism official said.

Erwin Balane, route development head of the Department of Tourism (DOT), said this was learned during the recent Routes Asia 2016 held in Manila.

Balane did not disclose the names of the airlines, but said the carriers include those from Bangkok, Indonesia and Japan and four airlines from China.

Balane said these airlines are still completing their “business case” for the Philippine market, specifically Cebu.

”After that, they will come here to do inspections and apply for some necessary permits,” said Balane.

The MCIA is undergoing a PHP17.5-billion rehabilitation and expansion, which includes the construction of Terminal 2 (T2), increasing the airport’s capacity from 4.5 million to 12 million passengers a year.

The latest foreign carrier to begin flying to Cebu is China-based Xiamen Air.

Some 174 passengers were welcomed by the DOT 7, MCIA and airport operator GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) Monday during the inaugural flight of Xiamen Air with Philippine Consul General Julius Cesar Flores and some Xiamen businessmen aboard.

The new direct route between Cebu and Xiamen, China is one of the important milestones of MCIA, said MCIA Authority General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete.

Villarete said this is the first scheduled flight to China as the previous flights between these two destinations were chartered and seasonal.

“We believe that this is the start of more connections between Cebu and China, the largest tourism and travel source in the world,” he said.

Xiamen Air leaves Xiamen at 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrives in Cebu at 11:55 a.m.

The airline utilizes a Boeing 737 aircraft with a 170-seat capacity.

Last Sunday, MCIA also welcomed passengers on board EVA Airways, which is operating on a daily basis.

The airline departs Taipei, Taiwan at 7:10 a.m. and arrives in Cebu at 10:05 a.m. It will also leave Cebu on the same day at 11:05 a.m. and arrive in Taipei at 2 p.m.

Cebu is EVA Air’s second destination in the country after Manila. (PNA) LAP/EB/RSM