Philippine Airlines resumes Cebu-Osaka flights

MANILA, Philippines - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will resume direct flights between Cebu and Osaka in Japan on October 26 to further boost trade and tourism in both destinations. “The restoration of the PAL link between these two dynamic cities underscores the importance we place on both Osaka as a major source market of tourists and investors, and on Cebu as a destination of choice for the Japanese," PAL President Jaime J Bautista said in a statement issued on Wednesday. PAL will fly twice a week from the Mactan International Airport in Cebu to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka using the airline's newly delivered Airbus A320. PAL started flying to Osaka in 1994 but operations were halted in October 2001 due to a weak market after the Japanese government issued travel advisories following the September 11 attacks in the United States. The airline currently flies between Cebu and Tokyo six times a week, and between Cebu and Seoul four times weekly. PAL also serves the North Asian destinations from Manila. “With Cebu now established as a major international destination, we deemed it an appropriate time to reinstate the Osaka link in order to complement our direct Tokyo and Seoul services from Cebu," Bautista said. - GMANews.TV