Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific will be flying direct to Incheon (Seoul), South Korea from Kalibo, Aklan starting October 1, 2016.
The daily flights between Kalibo and Incheon will utilize the airline’s 180-seater Airbus A320 aircraft.
“Cebu Pacific gears toward bringing travellers for business and leisure to magnificent countries at the lowest fare in the market,” Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs JR Mantaring said.
“The new Kalibo-Incheon route opens opportunities for passengers to explore must-see places in Incheon such as Wolmi-Do Island, Landing Memorial Hall and Jeondeungsa Temple, among others. We will remain committed to exploring more routes to cater to more passengers and to beef up economic, trade and tourism in this destination,” Mantaring added.
Cebu Pacific also operates daily flights to Incheon from Manila and Cebu, and flights four times weekly to Busan from Manila.
The airline recently announced that it had flown over 10 million passengers from January to June this year, an increase of 9% over the same period in 2015, with South Korea as one of its largest short-haul international markets. On average, flights were 87% full during these months.
The upsurge in passenger volume was primarily driven by popular domestic destinations in Visayas and Mindanao, such as Kalibo, Tacloban, Siargao, and Tagbilaran, the airline noted.
Key international short-haul destinations including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore also fared well during the first half of 2016. Passengers to and from Japan, in particular, spiked by 21% as a result of the launch of Cebu-Tokyo (Narita) in March 2015 and Manila-Fukuoka in December 2015.
The airline offers flights to 36 domestic and 30 international destinations, covering an extensive network that spans Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Its 57-strong fleet is comprised of seven Airbus A319, 36 Airbus A320, six Airbus A330, and eight ATR 72-500 aircraft. Between 2016 and 2021, CEB expects to receive delivery of 32 Airbus A321neo, two Airbus A330, and 16 ATR 72-600 aircraft.
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