PAL to debut Cebu-Osaka flights in December

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is banking on the tourism boom in Japan as the flag carrier slated the launch of its Cebu-Osaka flights on Dec. 22.

The route will be offered thrice weekly initially. By Feb. 26, 2025, the flight’s frequency will be increased to four times a week.

“We are delighted to make our comeback in the Cebu-Osaka market, just in time for the Christmas holiday season,” PAL president Stanley Ng said in a statement on Friday.

“Our direct flights from Mactan to (Japan’s) Kansai (region) will help us promote the tourism industry and local businesses in Cebu and the Visayas region, and deepen both bilateral relations and cultural ties with our Japanese counterparts,” Ng added.

Meanwhile, travelers from Osaka may land on Cebu and connect to other domestic destinations such as Bacolod, Boronga, Busuanga, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Clark, Cotabato, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Tacloban and Zamboanga.

For this route, PAL is deploying a 199-seater Airbus A321ceo (current engine option).

The new route will complement PAL’s twice daily flights between Manila and Osaka and daily flights between Cebu and Tokyo.

From Cebu, the flag carrier’s other foreign destinations are Seoul and Bangkok.

Seattle-bound

Earlier this week, the Lucio Tan-led airline announced the reopening by Dec. 3 of its Clark-Siargao flights.

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The carrier is also set to launch next month its inaugural Manila-Seattle flight.

Seattle will be PAL’s sixth route to the United States, in addition to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Honolulu and Guam. The new route can also serve as a gateway to the states of Washington and Oregon.

PAL will deploy a Boeing 777-300ER—a 370-passenger capacity aircraft—for the Manila-Seattle flight.

The airline currently flies to 39 international destinations and 33 domestic locations.