Cebu Pacific to open fourth operations hub in Clark

MANILA, Philippines - Leading carrier Cebu Pacific continues its expansion amid economic concerns as it turns the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga its fourth hub for domestic and international flights. Cebu Pacific will fly its new $40-million Airbus 319 aircraft daily to Hong Kong and Singapore, to Macau four times a week and to Bangkok three times a week from DMIA starting November 8. On the same day, the Gokongwei-led carrier will start daily flights to Cebu. The expansion makes Cebu Pacific the biggest airline operating in Clark with a frequency of 28 flights out of DMIA every week. Other airlines serving DMIA are Tiger Airways of Singapore and Air Asia of Malaysia with 14 flights each, the Philippines' Southeast Asian Airlines with ten flights a week, and Korea's Asiana Airlines with seven weekly flights. "This will strengthen our presence and the availability of flights to OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) based in the Central and Northern Luzon areas, and make the Philippines an even more attractive destination for trade and tourism," Cebu Pacific Chief Executive Lance Y Gokongwei told reporters on Wednesday. He said there is a huge potential market for Cebu Pacific as about eight million people live within Clark's 100-kilometer radius. "The plans of Cebu Pacific is a big boost to DMIA and to the regions of Central and Northern Luzon," said Victor Jose I Luciano, president and chief executive of the Clark International Airport Corp. Clark, which is roughly an hour's drive from Metro Manila, is being developed to be the country's premier international gateway. Cebu Pacific's other hubs are in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao. - GMANews.TV