Forget Paris: Despite MOA, not yet enough passengers for direct flights to France

French Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles Garachon on Thursday said more tourists from France to the Philippines — and vice versa — are needed to set up direct Manila-Paris flights.

 

In an interview with reporters, Garachon said only 50,000 tourists from France visit the Philippines yearly. He added that the figure for Filipinos going to Paris annually is also "almost the same figure."

 

Garachon said this number is not enough to establish direct flights despite a memorandum of agreement signed between the two countries earlier this year.

 

Last January 15, the Aeronautical Authorities of the Republic of the Philippines and the Aeronautical Authorities of the French Republic signed an agreement allowing Philippine Airlines to resume its Manila-Paris flights.

 

However, the low number of passengers has hindered the establishment of direct flights.

 

"The number of French tourists in the Philippines is not enough," he said. "Now that the blacklist of the Philippine Airlines has been lifted, there is nothing preveting having direct flights on both sides.

 

"Everything is ready for direct flights... But the problem is commercial... The flights needs to be full... If the flights are half empty, companies will lose money," he added.

 

He noted that the French embassy is trying to double the number of tourists through advertisements.

 

"You have a lot of Asian tourists, but you don't have much western tourists compared to other countries in Southeast Asia... There is a huge room for increasing tourism..." he said. "The planes need to be filled with not only OFWs, but also tourists," — JST, GMA News