PAL adds Taipie from Kalibo

More foreign flights seen out of Kalibo

by Venus G. Villanueva
December 15, 2009

Kalibo - After having direct regular flights from Incheon, South Korea that started December 4, the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) will be receiving starting December 16 direct regular [charter] flights from Taipei, Taiwan.

This will be through Philippine Airlines (PAL), which will have its inaugural flight for this route with its first flight bringing in to Aklan a total of 156 passengers.

Team Asia-Pacific Director Ma. Rica Bueno said this current development is PAL's way of supporting the increasing number of tourists from Taiwan who want to visit Boracay Island, Aklan's tourism jewel.

According to Bueno, Boracay Island is the most popular and most -in-demand beach holiday destination for Taiwanese travelers, getting more popular each day with the increase in direct flights from Taiwan of other airlines.

Currently, Mandarin/China Airlines has two direct regular flights weekly from Taipei to Kalibo and vice versa.

As early as September this year, Boracay visitors, composed of foreign and domestic tourists as well as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families, have breached the half-million marked, bringing in P9,318,471,926.00 in tourism receipts for the period. (PIA)