Up from a single flight entitlement to Manila
December 17, 2009
Air Services Agreement (ASA) between Oman and the Philippines approved entitlements for 17 direct flights between the two countries, CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said yesterday.
Arcilla said that the new entitlements will add 16 more flight to Muscat from the previous unused one flight each to and from Manila and Cebu. Philippine Airlines used to service the route before they suffered financial problems in 1998.
He further said that these existing flight entitlements have not been used by any airline carriers from both countries after the financial troubles of PAL, but state airline Oman Air has already signified its interest in servicing Manila route.
"We now have four new flights going to Manila, seven to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark, four to Cebu and four to Davao every week," Mr. Arcilla said.
The ASA was formally signed last December 14 in Muscat by the Oman government together with the Philippine air panel composed of officials from the Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, CAB, and representatives from the airline companies.
There are more than 50,000 documented Filipino workers in Oman that currently used the airport facilities of Dubai in going back to the Philippines. With the ASA, Oman Air can now introduce at least three flights a week to the country, a reasonable frequency to sustained regular scheduled flight said an airline representative based in Oman.
Oman air has pending orders for 2 Airbus 330's, one of them scheduled for Muscat-Manila run sometime next year. Official announcement of service is yet to be announced by the airline.
Arcilla said that the new entitlements will add 16 more flight to Muscat from the previous unused one flight each to and from Manila and Cebu. Philippine Airlines used to service the route before they suffered financial problems in 1998.
He further said that these existing flight entitlements have not been used by any airline carriers from both countries after the financial troubles of PAL, but state airline Oman Air has already signified its interest in servicing Manila route.
"We now have four new flights going to Manila, seven to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark, four to Cebu and four to Davao every week," Mr. Arcilla said.
The ASA was formally signed last December 14 in Muscat by the Oman government together with the Philippine air panel composed of officials from the Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, CAB, and representatives from the airline companies.
There are more than 50,000 documented Filipino workers in Oman that currently used the airport facilities of Dubai in going back to the Philippines. With the ASA, Oman Air can now introduce at least three flights a week to the country, a reasonable frequency to sustained regular scheduled flight said an airline representative based in Oman.
Oman air has pending orders for 2 Airbus 330's, one of them scheduled for Muscat-Manila run sometime next year. Official announcement of service is yet to be announced by the airline.
I'm glad that oman air will be having a flight to Manila. This is great and I hope it would be soon. Because my husband and I always travel and there are times that we got fed up of 6 hours stop over and sometimes the flight is cancelled. I will look forward for Oman air flying in the Philippines.
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