AirAsia launches new services to Cebu
A water cannon salute welcomed the inaugural Kuala Lumpur to Cebu Flight Z2 7113 at MCIA Terminal 2. Onboard the flight were AirAsia Philippines CEO Capt. Suresh Bangah and AirAsia Aviation Group chief commercial officer Amanda Woo. They were welcomed by Lapu-Lapu City mayor Ma. Cynthia Chan, Department of Tourism-7 OIC regional director Geleena Asis-Dimpas, ACAC CEO Athanasios Titonis, airline executives, and members of media.
  • AirAsia Philippines expanded its Cebu services with the launch of two international and three domestic routes out of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on November 15
  • The new weekly operations include flights to Kuala Lumpur (14 flights), to Macau (3), Davao (18), Caticlan (11), and Iloilo (4)
  • The flights reinforce the low-cost carrier’s long-term vision to grow its Philippine network as a key gateway connecting ASEAN countries to a broader global network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe
  • AirAsia also launched its “To the Philippines with Love” program to support recovery efforts in Cebu following recent natural disasters

AirAsia Philippines expanded its Cebu services with the launch of two international and three domestic weekly services out of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on November 15.

The new weekly operations now include flights to Kuala Lumpur (14 flights), to Macau (3), Davao (18), Caticlan (11), and Iloilo (4) using Airbus A320 aircraft.

A water cannon salute welcomed the inaugural Kuala Lumpur to Cebu Flight Z2 7113 at MCIA Terminal 2. Onboard the flight were AirAsia Philippines CEO Capt. Suresh Bangah and AirAsia Aviation Group chief commercial officer Amanda Woo. They were welcomed by Lapu-Lapu City mayor Ma. Cynthia Chan, Department of Tourism-7 OIC regional director Geleena Asis-Dimpas, ACAC CEO Athanasios Titonis, airline executives, and members of media.

The expansion brings AirAsia Philippines’ network to 26 domestic and international routes with 450 frequencies, operating from 21 hubs in Manila and five hubs in Cebu. The new flights also reinforce the low-cost carrier’s long-term vision to grow its Philippine network as a key gateway connecting Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to a broader global network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Next year AirAsia is looking to connect Cebu to more international destinations, such as Vietnam and North Asia, Woo said during the launch.

AirAsia currently operates 202 weekly flights to 10 international destinations from the Philippines.

Coinciding with the launch of the new routes is the announcement of AirAsia’s “To the Philippines with Love” program to support recovery efforts in Cebu following recent natural disasters, including the earthquake that struck in September and Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), which severely affected the region.

AirAsia will donate P15 for every seat sold from November 15 2025 to January 14, 2026 to support local typhoon relief and recovery programs. The airline expects to donate P18 million to P20 million under the program.

The donation will be disbursed by AirAsia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the airline group, to support relief and rebuilding projects, prioritizing community infrastructure and training and awareness to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities to respond to future calamities.

AirAsia Foundation has partnered with Bike Scouts, a social enterprise with more than a decade of on-ground disaster response experience across the Philippines, to provide critical communication access to communities isolated by typhoons, floods and other natural events.

The donation from AirAsia is in addition to the airline’s ongoing post-earthquake support for government partners through humanitarian flights. In coordination with government authorities, AirAsia transported search-and-rescue teams of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and critical rescue equipment to support emergency relief missions in Cebu.

AirAsia Foundation has a long-standing record of helming AirAsia’s post-disaster campaigns in ASEAN. Since its establishment in 2012, the Foundation has raised and distributed over US$4 million to fund responses to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2013), the Palu tsunami (2018), and the Malaysian floods (2021), among others. AirAsia Foundation has also awarded over $670,000 in social enterprise grants across seven Asean countries, supporting impactful ventures that address poverty alleviation, promote sustainable livelihoods, and build climate resilience.

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