Air Juan Opens Sipalay Airport

Connects Cebu and Iloilo

4 August 2017

Rural airline Air Juan opens up Sipalay Airport to traffic as it begins scheduled flight services to Cebu yesterday and Iloilo today.

The LGU operated airport opens its door to Air Juan Aviation Inc., as it connects to Cebu and Iloilo twice a week to cater to tourists traffic.

The erstwhile Maricalum airstrip is the first LGU operated airport in the country with Air Juan being the first airline to use it in scheduled service. Other general aviation planes also uses the airport for personal transport of passengers.

Air Juan president, John Anthony Gutierrez, said that they are planning to connect Sipalay airport to Busuanga and El Nido, all in northern Palawan, aside from Cebu and Iloilo to address the foreign passenger traffic's demand.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., lauded Gutierrez for launching the “bold missionary project “.

Marañon said that another airline SEAIR earlier considered the route to Cebu but the plan never pans out to fruition.

Air Juan also connects Iloilo to Caticlan airport among other tourists spots in Baler and Cuyo island.

Negros Occidental was ranked as the second most visited destination by domestic tourists among the provinces in the country last year,according to the Philippine Statistics Authority(PSA).

“I am very sure that this airport will play a vital role, not only for the tourism industry, but also in the economic development of the south”, Marañon said.

Sipalay City and its neighboring areas are famous by foreign tourist for diving sites and white sand beach resorts.

Air Juan is accredited by the Department of Tourism as a tourist air transport provider.