SEAIR turns 8
April 27, 2003 | 12:00am
CLARK, Pampanga – A foreigner on a trip to Thailand was forced to make a detour when his flight schedule got mixed up. Somebody suggested that he instead take a trip to Palawan, a place totally unknown to him. This adventurous foreigner, Franco-German Iren Dornier, thought "Well, okay, why not?" and headed for Palawan – and fell in love with the place instantly. He never wanted to leave after that.
Inspired by that experience, Dornier got together with Greek-American Nikos Gitsis and Filipino Tomas Lopez in 1994, and the concept of SEAIR as a safe, reliable and economical air transport company serving the Philippines was born.
And as they say, the rest is history.
This year, SEAIR (South East Asian Airlines) celebrates its eighth year of operations with a total fleet of 10 aircraft. Over the years, the airline has grown tenfold from a once-a-day air transport company – with headquarters at the Clark special economic zone – initially flying to resorts in Boracay and Palawan to being the official flag carrier to 25 local tourist destinations at present.
Wanting to share their blessings with the less privileged, the SEAIR management and staff hosted an anniversary party for 25 special children recently. With the help of Child Hope Foundation, 10 street children from Manila were flown to the SEAIR headquarters to interact with 15 Aeta students from Calumpang Elementary School. Parlor games, balloons, clowns and magic shows provided fun and entertainment.
The children had a field day touring the hangar where eight aircraft were made available for them to see, touch, feel and have their pictures taken as they pretended to be pilots.
The highlight of the celebration was the "handprinting" of a new purple SEAIR plane. The children, with the help of their SEAIR titos and titas, soaked their hands in colored paint and pressed their palms against the sides of the plane, leaving colorful imprints. These will serve as lasting memories of SEAIR’s red-letter day.
One of SEAIR’s main strengths is its ability to offer more flights to more destinations in the Philippines than any other domestic airline. According to Gitsis, SEAIR director, the airline’s destinations are not trunk-line routes such as Manila-Cebu or Manila-Davao and vice versa. "We were able to open up tourism in many small places," he said. "SEAIR is now synonymous with some of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines – Busuanga, Coron, El Nido, Sandoval, Taytay and Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Boracay/Caticlan in Aklan, Cebu and Siargao."
In terms of safety, SEAIR is proud to say that it has a reputable safety track record. The company is an ATO/ICAO authorized third-party repair station and LET aircraft distributor. SEAIR also provides international levels of insurance coverage to all passengers, thus further assuring them of quality service and safety.
Another striking characteristic of SEAIR is its team itself. Some of the company’s top managers are not only businessmen but aviators, too. "Needless to say, we know the business of flying quite well," added Gitsis.
SEAIR kicked off 2003 on a strong note, announcing the acquisition of two more planes – the latest additions to its 19-seater LET 410 passenger fleet. The planes belong to an advanced series of the LET 410 UVP-E model and have proven to be very ideal for local short takeoff and landing (STOL) runway conditions, thus giving SEAIR passengers the opportunity to reach the most remote destinations of the Philippines where wide-bodied aircraft are restricted to land.
The airline has also opened more routes this year, starting with the Clark-Caticlan route, which will allow passengers from northern Philippines easier access to vacation hot spot Boracay. And for those who want to go island-hopping in one swing – from Boracay’s fine white sand beaches to Puerto Galera’s famous diving spots – SEAIR has a route network of Manila-Calapan (Puerto Galera)-Caticlan.
Dornier, SEAIR chairman, said, "The new routes are in line with our expansion program since they give our airline the opportunity to provide hourly flights to Boracay on a daily basis. As such, SEAIR is now offering the most flight frequency to Boracay than any other airline." He said SEAIR will acquire two more planes this year to beef up flights in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The year 2003 holds great significance for SEAIR. "The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has declared 2003 as ‘Visit Philippines Year,’" said Gitsis. "So aside from creating expansion within the company, we are also making SEAIR’s tourism efforts fall in line with the Department of Tourism’s marketing campaign of the country. Naturally, we are all working together to promote the Philippines as a premier, globally renowned tourist destination."
Major developments are now taking place in the company as it undergoes ISO accreditation and application for international operations. By the end of 2005, SEAIR envisions itself to have fully established bases in Clark, Manila, Cebu and Puerto Princesa to serve as hubs and international points of entry.
With its steady growth in the industry despite its relatively small size, SEAIR looks forward to the future with great vigor. "We will take it one step at a time, with a high sense of hope that our company will soon achieve world-class status," said Dornier. "The company is positive that it has a great chance of making it big."
From Dornier’s accidental discovery of Palawan to the airline’s humble beginnings in Clark to its present burgeoning business, SEAIR has gone a long way in such a little time. It just goes to show how great things can start serendipitously.
Inspired by that experience, Dornier got together with Greek-American Nikos Gitsis and Filipino Tomas Lopez in 1994, and the concept of SEAIR as a safe, reliable and economical air transport company serving the Philippines was born.
And as they say, the rest is history.
Wanting to share their blessings with the less privileged, the SEAIR management and staff hosted an anniversary party for 25 special children recently. With the help of Child Hope Foundation, 10 street children from Manila were flown to the SEAIR headquarters to interact with 15 Aeta students from Calumpang Elementary School. Parlor games, balloons, clowns and magic shows provided fun and entertainment.
The children had a field day touring the hangar where eight aircraft were made available for them to see, touch, feel and have their pictures taken as they pretended to be pilots.
The highlight of the celebration was the "handprinting" of a new purple SEAIR plane. The children, with the help of their SEAIR titos and titas, soaked their hands in colored paint and pressed their palms against the sides of the plane, leaving colorful imprints. These will serve as lasting memories of SEAIR’s red-letter day.
In terms of safety, SEAIR is proud to say that it has a reputable safety track record. The company is an ATO/ICAO authorized third-party repair station and LET aircraft distributor. SEAIR also provides international levels of insurance coverage to all passengers, thus further assuring them of quality service and safety.
Another striking characteristic of SEAIR is its team itself. Some of the company’s top managers are not only businessmen but aviators, too. "Needless to say, we know the business of flying quite well," added Gitsis.
The airline has also opened more routes this year, starting with the Clark-Caticlan route, which will allow passengers from northern Philippines easier access to vacation hot spot Boracay. And for those who want to go island-hopping in one swing – from Boracay’s fine white sand beaches to Puerto Galera’s famous diving spots – SEAIR has a route network of Manila-Calapan (Puerto Galera)-Caticlan.
Dornier, SEAIR chairman, said, "The new routes are in line with our expansion program since they give our airline the opportunity to provide hourly flights to Boracay on a daily basis. As such, SEAIR is now offering the most flight frequency to Boracay than any other airline." He said SEAIR will acquire two more planes this year to beef up flights in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The year 2003 holds great significance for SEAIR. "The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has declared 2003 as ‘Visit Philippines Year,’" said Gitsis. "So aside from creating expansion within the company, we are also making SEAIR’s tourism efforts fall in line with the Department of Tourism’s marketing campaign of the country. Naturally, we are all working together to promote the Philippines as a premier, globally renowned tourist destination."
With its steady growth in the industry despite its relatively small size, SEAIR looks forward to the future with great vigor. "We will take it one step at a time, with a high sense of hope that our company will soon achieve world-class status," said Dornier. "The company is positive that it has a great chance of making it big."
From Dornier’s accidental discovery of Palawan to the airline’s humble beginnings in Clark to its present burgeoning business, SEAIR has gone a long way in such a little time. It just goes to show how great things can start serendipitously.
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