PAL To Fly Tel Aviv In October

30 April 2021

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has secured regulatory and overflight approval to fly Manila to Tel Aviv and vice versa starting October this year, via Saudi Arabian and Jordan airspace. The route will be flown by Airbus A330-300 thrice a week according to their application. 

In a statement, the airline said it hopes to serve growing demand for air linkages between the Philippines and the Holy Land to serve tourists and overseas Filipino workers this year.

 

PAL President and COO Gilbert Santa Maria said Manila-Tel Aviv-Manila flights has been worked out since 2019 but couldn't get clearance to fly Saudi Arabian Airspace, its preferred mode of overflights.

"The Philippines is a strong source of potential travelers to Israel, which welcomes Filipinos without requiring a visa. Our countrymen have been longing for a direct flight to the Holy Land for spiritual pilgrimages or for a Mediterranean getaway when the travel climate allows. We also look forward to inviting Israelis to visit the Philippines, so our direct flights will help us restart tourism here in our country,” said PAL chief Strategy and Planning Officer Dexter Lee.

 In March 2018, Air India became the first airline to overfly Saudia Arabian Airspace after the Saudi Government granted their request for overflight rights.

CEB Delivers 500k Sinovac Vaccine

 

30 April 2021

Cebu Pacific has transported its first government-procured 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines to Manila from Beijing transported by A330-300 aircraft under flight no. 5J671, chartered by the Philippine Government.

The shipment arrived at 7:18 a.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airportwere immediately turned over to the Department of Health, Cebu Pacific said.

“This delivery marks our first international vaccine shipment and we are grateful for the trust and confidence of the DOH. More importantly, we remain steadfast in our commitment to support our country’s recovery efforts in every way possible,” said Cebu Pacific chief operations office Michael Ivan Shau.

According to the airline it has already transported over 760,000 doses of vaccines across the country.

Cebu Pacific is also scheduled to fly to Moscow along with Philippine Airlines to transport covid19 vaccines to Manila manufactured by Gamaleya Institute of Russia beginning next month.

Mactan Cebu Airport Posts 1.1B Pesos Revenue

 15 April 2021

By Carlo Lorenciana

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) posted a revenue of PHP1.11 billion last year as passenger traffic plunged amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. 

This was disclosed on Thursday by Megawide Construction Corp., one of the firms managing the country’s second busiest air hub, saying MCIA’s revenue made up 9 percent of the company’s total earnings for 2020. 

 

Megawide said MCIA’s total passenger count reached 2.7 million last year, with the domestic and international segments struggling at 1.9 million and 789,328 passengers, respectively. 

 

Total air traffic was likewise confined to 26,544 movements, split into 20,514 domestic and 6,030 international flights.

 

Meanwhile, the share of commercial revenues to total grew to 44 percent as of end 2020, mostly conducted through cashless purchases and non-contact interaction to prevent virus transmission from less than 30 percent five years ago. 

 

The level inched closer to the targeted 50-percent benchmark noted in major international gateways, Megawide said.

 

Since the reinstatement of local travel in June, 85 new domestic flights were recommissioned by partner airlines to service MCIA’s predominantly domestic routes. 

 

Average passenger throughput also improved to around 2,000 daily in December from 1,100 daily during the resumption of flights.

 

In a statement, Megawide chairman Edgar Saavedra said while travel and tourism in general have yet to show signs of recovery on the back of worldwide vaccine rollout, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the consortium operating the airport, remains optimistic about the country’s own vaccination drive to serve as catalysts for revenge travel, both from the domestic and international fronts.

 

Overall, Megawide described 2020 as a year of recalibration, particularly in the growth opportunities to pursue and the strategic objectives to prioritize.

 

Saavedra said the firm remains focused and committed to its vision of engineering a “First-World Philippines” regardless of the business condition. 

 

“For instance, we completed the Clark International Airport Terminal 2 and successfully hurdled the Swiss challenge for the Carbon Modernization Project in November despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. We believe that our determination and agility ensure that the company's operating businesses continue to grow to create a positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, and ultimately, the entire economic ecosystem,” he added. 

 

The infrastructure giant is redeveloping the Carbon Market, the biggest wet market here, in a joint venture agreement with the city government of Cebu. (PNA)

Cebu Pacific Renews Fleet Amidst Pandemic

 10 April 2021 

Philippine budget airline Cebu Pacific (CEB) will continue to upgrade its entire Airbus fleet with newer and more efficient planes starting this year until 2027, its annual report disclosed. 

The planes were originally scheduled for delivery in 2020 until 2026 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced airlines to re-scheduled delivery of new fleet this year. 

CEB will take delivery of 40 Airbus A321neo family aircraft, 16 A330neos and three more ATR 72-600s. or 59 new planes in total. 

The carrier’s fleet currently comprised 74 planes, including eight A321neos, 25 Airbus A320, seven Airbus A321ceos, five Airbus A320neos, seven Airbus A330, six ATR 72-500 and 13 ATR 72-600 aircraft. It also has a subfleet of two ATR freighters and one A330 freighter. 

“By 2027, Cebu Pacific will have retired its current fleet of Airbus jets, replaced with a fleet comprised of A321neo, A320neo and A330neo aircraft,” the budget carrier said in its annual report. 

The airline took delivery of brand-new Airbus A321Neo last April 2 while seven more planes of the same type, and ATR were set to arrive for the remainder of 2021.