CEBU TO MACAU:
Cebu Pacific, at present, is the only airline that flies to Macau from Cebu. It is also the only carrier that flies to Macau from Manila and Clark in Pampanga
Department of Tourism 7 Director Shahlimar Tamano, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager Steve Dicdican, Cebu Pacific director for marketing Blessie Cruz, and GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. head of airline marketing Aines Librodo slice a cake to celebrate the launch of Cebu Pacific’s Cebu-Macau maiden flight (inset).
Travelers from Visayas and Mindanao now have a chance to fly direct to Asia’s “Las Vegas” with the launching Friday, Dec. 7, of Cebu Pacific’s Cebu-Macau maiden flight.
The new route is also expected to promote Cebu as a gateway of Visayas and Mindanao, said Cebu Pacific drector for marketing Blessie Cruz.
“Cebu Pacific is very proud to launch a direct Cebu-Macau flight as we expand our Cebu network to cater to a growing number of leisure travelers. We are committed to expanding our air services out of Cebu, providing Cebuanos and residents of neighboring provinces in the Visayas with more travel options,” Cruz said in a speech.
The first flight Friday -- a 180-seater Airbus A320 -- left the Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 6:35 p.m. and it is expected to arrive in Macau at 9:45 p.m. The return flight will leave Macau at 10:25 p.m. and arrive in Cebu at 1:25 a.m. the next day.
The flight is scheduled four times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Base fare for the direct Macau-Cebu flights start as low as P2,388 or P3,151 all-in.
“A direct Cebu-Macau route would provide logistics support to further stimulate investments... We expect to further boost trade and tourism between Cebu and Macau,” said Cruz.
Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Director Shahlimar Tamano, for his part, said the launching Friday is “a very big step for all of us and the DOT is very happy with this development.”
He said the Cebu-Macau direct flight of Cebu Pacific will not be servicing Macau alone but also Hong Kong, citing the two regions are located from each other just about two hours and a half.
“So Macau and Hong Kong are now like Bohol and Cebu because they are connected by probably the longest bridge in the world... The Cebu Pacific flight will also serve Hong Kong and the greater region of Macau and Hong Kong,” Tamano said.
Cebu Pacific, at present, is the only airline that flies to Macau from Cebu. It is also the only carrier that flies to Macau from Manila and Clark in Pampanga.
“The days when Cebuanos have to fly to Manila to catch an international flight are fast becoming a thing of the past. Today, we are offering more direct flight options from Cebu to key destinations in the Asia Pacific Region,” said Cruz.