Cebu Pacific raises by 133% its seat capacity to Osaka

Cebu Air Inc., operator of budget airline Cebu Pacific, on Friday said it will mount daily flights to Osaka, Japan starting Dec. 20, noting the ban that kept Philippine carriers from creating additional service to the Land of the Rising Sun was lifted last month.
 
The Gokongwei-led airline will add four weekly flights to the economic hub of Kansai region using Airbus A320 aircraft, a move that translates to a 133 percent increase in Cebu Pacific’s seat capacity to Japan, said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and distribution.
 
“… As we continue with our commitment to boost tourism and trade between the Philippines and Japan… this is great news on Cebu Pacific’s 5th year of operations in Japan,” Iyog noted.
 
On Sept. 13, the Manila and Tokyo closed a confidential memorandum of understanding (CMOU) and lifted the ban that kept Philippines carrier from mounting additional flights to Japan. The agreement raises the number of flights between Manila and Narita to 400 per week from 119 and 14 flights per week between Manila and Haneda.
 
The Japan restrictions on Philippines carriers came on the heels of safety security concerns raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against the Philippine in 2008. Early this year, ICAO lifted the security concerns after Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines passed a safety and security audit Feb. 18 to Feb. 22.
 
“The recently concluded air talks were very successful and will definitely pave the way for more direct linkages between the two countries. With more flights to the Philippines, we believe Japan can rival South Korea when it comes to foreign tourist arrivals,” Iyog noted.
 
According to an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Cebu Pacific plans to mount flights to nine major cities in Japan via Manila and Cebu starting February 2014. – VS, GMA News