Aboitiz unit eyes more Japan flights for Bohol
Aboitiz InfraCapital is positioning one of its Visayas gateways to capture a larger slice of Japanese tourist arrivals after Bohol-Panglao International Airport received its first chartered flight from Japan earlier this month.
In a statement on Monday, airport operator Aboitiz InfraCapital Bohol Airport Corp. said 163 Japanese tourists arrived at Bohol-Panglao International Airport on May 2 via a chartered Cebu Pacific flight from Narita.
Japan is an important market for Central Visayas, as it posted the fastest growth among major foreign visitor markets in the region last year, with arrivals rising 38 percent to 337,812 in 2025 from 244,537 in 2024.
This move also comes as the tourism industry seeks to capture a bigger share of Japan’s outbound travel market, which has been gradually recovering after pandemic-related disruptions across Asia.
Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado said the chartered service could help pave the way for more regular direct flights into the province.
“This is a very encouraging development for Bohol,” Aumentado said in a statement. “We are hopeful that this chartered flight will pave the way for regular international arrivals, particularly from Japan, which has always been a valued tourism market for us.”
According to the airport operator, the charter arrangement followed discussions during the Bohol business mission to Japan in September 2025, when airport executives met with chartered flight organizer JTB Corp. to discuss expanding tourist arrivals into the province.
After the flight’s arrival, inspections were conducted in Bohol to assess the airport’s immigration, customs and quarantine facilities.
Bohol-Panglao International Airport currently serves domestic routes connecting the province to Manila, Clark, Cebu and Davao, while also handling limited international flights from South Korea.
Operated by Aboitiz InfraCapital’s airport unit, the facility has been positioned as a regional gateway aimed at attracting more direct international connections outside Metro Manila.
The airport, which opened in 2018, was designed as the country’s first “eco-airport” with its energy-efficient systems such as natural lighting and ventilation.
