CEB leads in Puerto Princesa route

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ largest national flag carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) carried more than 145,000 passengers to and from Puerto Princesa, Palawan in the third quarter of 2011, posting a growth of 85 percent compared to the same period last year.

Puerto Princesa is the gateway to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, recently named one of the provisional New 7 Wonders of the World. The river is an 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river, reputed to be the world’s longest.

Other provisional winners are the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo and South Africa’s Table Mountain.

CEB operates the most number of flights and routes to Puerto Princesa, with thrice daily flights from Manila and daily flights from Cebu.

The airline also offers the most number of seats with these four daily flights, which all utilize Airbus A320 aircraft. It is the only airline providing connectivity between Palawan and Central Visayas.

“CEB first flew to Puerto Princesa in March of 2003. It has since then become the biggest airline flying to Puerto Princesa, providing easy and direct access to the growing number of foreign and local tourists interested in visiting this eco-friendly city,” said CEB vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog.

According to the Civil Aeronautics Board, CEB captured 39 percent market share to and from Puerto Princesa, offering 38 percent of the total number of seats as compared to other airlines, in the first half of 2011.