MANILA, Philippines — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has raised the number of its daily flights to Hong Kong – one of the last to reopen from the pandemic – to service travelers going to the popular destination.
Cebu Pacific chief commercial officer Xander Lao said in an advisory that the airline has grown its flight frequency to Hong Kong to five times every day.
Lao said the expanded network to Hong Kong runs until Jan. 30 next year as the low-cost carrier takes advantage of the recent easing of border restrictions for incoming travelers.
Hong Kong has maintained its policy for guests to present their record of full vaccination and to show a negative COVID-19 result.
Upon arrival, travelers are required to take an RT-PCR test and proceed straight to the hotel while waiting for the results to come out.
During the stay, tourists must monitor themselves for symptoms and take an antigen test every day for five days, reporting the results on Hong Kong’s COVID-19 surveillance portal.
However, the protocol changes only for the second day, when the traveler is asked to get an RT-PCR test.
Even with pandemic restrictions in place, Lao believes Hong Kong’s decision to allow the return of leisure travel serves as a first step for its eventual reopening.
“We are encouraged to see Hong Kong easing its restrictions for international travelers, and we expect demand to pick-up as we know many are excited to fly there again,” Lao said.
“We have made available many flight options for every Juan to further allow them to make those holiday trips possible,” he added.
Apart from Hong Kong, Cebu Pacific has also increased its flight frequencies to Brunei Darussalam, Jakarta, Seoul and Taipei.
Cebu Pacific spokesperson Carmina Romero said that the airline plans to widen its international network outside of Metro Manila, starting with the resumption of Davao to Singapore flights as well as the reinstatement of Cebu to Seoul and Singapore routes.
“We know that many are raring to fly outside the Philippines as more neighboring countries ease travel restrictions. It is encouraging to see more people confidently flying again,” Romero said.
At present, the Gokongwei-led airline has restored 92 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity, with more than 100 percent of its domestic routes reinstated, although its international linkage stands still at 68 percent due to China’s resistance to reopen to leisure travel.
Cebu Pacific serves an average of 355 flights every day covering 34 domestic destinations and 19 international routes, offering more than 64,000 seats daily with demand for air travel picking up pace.