Air Juan takes flight in Cebu

CEBU CITY – Cebu’s first seaplane service is set to start operating at the South Road Properties (SRP) next month, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced yesterday.

“Air Juan (AJ) is almost ready for operation. All we’re waiting for is the terminal to finish construction in the SRP,” Osmeña said.

The first route AJ will ply will be from SRP to Lakawon Island in Negros Occidental.

Osmeña said other destinations are being eyed, including Malapascua Island, Daanbantayan town in Northern Cebu and Sumilon Island, Oslob town in Southern Cebu.

Air fare will range from R2,000.

AJ will initially field two seaplanes in its Cebu operations this November.

According to him, not only will the sea and air transport further spur tourism in Cebu, but also that of the other islands in the Visayas since it will attract bigger clients who will, in turn, pour investments in the region.

“Promoting Cebu as an access point for other parts of the country will boost our international and domestic tourism greatly; we have almost 10 direct flights every day from Korea alone; if potential tourists realize that you can fly directly from Cebu to the very beach of the resort you’re staying in, many more will come,” he said in an earlier post on his Facebook page.

“Europeans, who typically take longer holidays, can be particularly marketed to for this,” he added.

The new mode of transportation, Osmeña added, will also stir growth in the province’s rural areas.

“It also encourages development in the countryside; you cannot force a businessman to build in the middle of nowhere; you must show him that there’s a market for it and that it’s the right decision to make,” he said.

With the seaplane service, urban centers will be decongested and the economy will boost up with the infusion of foreign currency, he continued. R1,000 to