PAL starts Antique-Clark flights

Philippine Airlines began on Sunday its Antique-Clark route.

The twice-weekly route will be serviced by PAL's brand new 86-seater Bombardier Next Generation Q400 aircraft, the company said in a statement.

Flight PR2205 departs from Clark every Sunday and Tuesday at 6 a.m., arriving at the Evelio B. Javier airport in San Jose de Buenavista in Antique at 7:20 a.m.

Flight PR2206, on the other hand, departs from Antique at 7:40 a.m., arriving in Clark at 9 a.m.

Senator Loren Legarda, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco, Transport Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo, Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao, and Antique mayors and councilors welcomed the arrival of the inaugural PAL flight at the Evelio B. Javier airport.

A Philippine Airlines domestic flight receives a water cannon salute upon its arrival at the Evelio B. Javier airport in San Jose, Antique on Sunday, December 16, 2018. PAL offers its Clark-Antique flights twice weekly. Danny Pata

“With PAL flights coming to Antique, more Antiqueños would be able to fly home more often and experience the efficiency of air travel. We witness another milestone for Philippine aviation," Sydiongco said.

“This new route empowers Antiqueños to fly straight to the heart of Central Luzon,” said PAL’s vice president for corporate communications Josen Perez de Tagle. “More convenient air access helps keep the economy humming in Antique.”

PAL had a Manila-Antique service route from 1956 to 1970 using Douglas DC-3 aircraft. It also offered the same route from 1974 to 1977 using the Hawker Siddeley 748 aircraft, the company said. —KG, GMA News