PAL Downgrades Flight Services Between Cotabato And Tawi-Tawi

Adds Cotabato-Cebu Beginning December 1 

8 November 2022

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is downgrading flight services between Cotabato's Awang Airport and Tawi-Tawi's Sanga Airport from 180 seater Airbus A320 to 86 seater DHC-Q400 aircraft beginning December 1 according to PAL Vice President for Sales Bud Britanico.

The airline will also starts direct flights between Cebu and Cotabato City all the way to Tawi-Tawi from the same date on the same twice weekly schedule every Monday and Thursday.

Cotabato to Tawi-Tawi and vice versa is currently flown with twice a week Airbus A320 service using aircraft from Manila operated by low cost subsidiary Air Philippines Corporation.

Britanico said they have rationalized the route by introducing Cebu-Cotabato-Bongao and vice versa link to increase passenger traffic between these destinations within the BARMM Region with flight connections to Cebu City.

The service is the latest addition to the flag carrier’s expanding network of inter-island hopping which ended in 1997.

PAL previously connected Cebu-Dipolog-Zamboanga-Jolo/Bongao, and Cebu-Pagadian-Zamboanga-Jolo/Bongao routes in the past.

“We hope to contribute positively to the economic development of Cotabato City and the Bangsamoro region by launching this new link to Cotabato City,” says Britanico.

“Philippine Airlines is offering more flights out of Cebu soon to serve travelers living in the Central Visayas and Southern Mindanao regions,” he added.

It recently added Cebu-Baguio route and vice versa to its growing Cebu hub effective December 16.

PR 2223 Cebu-Cotabato flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 05:20 AM, arriving in Cotabato’s Awang Airport at 06:35 AM. It will then proceed to Sanga-Sanga Airport at 07:05 AM arriving at 08:30 AM. Passengers can depart from Tawi-Tawi at 09:00 AM with brief stop in Cotabato after arriving at 10:30 AM.

PR 2224 Cotabato-Cebu flies every Monday and Thursday, departing at 11:00 AM, arriving in Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 12:15 PM.

Passengers can thereafter conveniently connect Boracay, Coron, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Siargao and Baguio (from Dec. 16) by connecting through PAL’s Cebu hub, rather than connecting via Manila.

PAL also flies Zamboanga to Bongao thrice a week.