ILOILO City – International flights from the Iloilo Airport will resume beginning this October 27, a significant development that is seen to energize the local economy after a hiatus of more than four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flights to Hong Kong and Singapore would be reinstated, confirmed Cebu Pacific during the 33rd Visayas Area Business Conference held on Friday morning, July 26, at the Iloilo Convention Center.
Michelle Eve de Guzman, marketing director at Cebu Pacific, said daily flights between Iloilo and Hong Kong are set to commence on October 27, while the schedule for flights to and from Singapore has yet to be determined.
The flights to Hong Kong and Singapore are just a part of the daily direct international operations from Iloilo, which also includes multiple domestic routes such as Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Clark, Davao, General Santos, Manila, and Puerto Princesa.
Manuela Luisa Palma, the manager of Iloilo Airport, assured that the airport facilities have been ready to handle international traffic since last year.
She emphasized the readiness of the pre-departure area located in the main passenger terminal, which can accommodate 150 international passengers at Gate 3.
Additional capacity could be added if needed by placing more chairs to meet passenger demand, added Palma.
She noted that previously, the airport managed international flights on alternating days between Hong Kong and Singapore.
With the resumption of these flights, Palma expects a boost to the local economy by making Iloilo more accessible and affordable for international travel.
This would benefit, among others, the returning overseas Western Visayas workers. They need not drop by Metro Manila on their way home, thereby saving them time and money.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed gladness with the resumption of the international flights, highlighting their importance to, specifically, overseas Filipino worker (OFW) communities in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Treñas has long been in contact with Cebu Pacific management to advocate for these routes upon requests from the OFWs.
Furthermore, Mayor Treñas called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expedite the development of the airport through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and urged the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Immigration to prepare for the influx of international flights.
The Iloilo Airport is situated on 188 hectares of land covering barangays Tabucan, Tiring, Gaub, Duyan-Duyan, and Manguna in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste-sorting and water-treatment facilities, a power-generating station, a cargo terminal, and a main passenger terminal.
In September 2022, Iloilo governor Arthur Defensor Jr. disclosed that one airline expressed interest to resume international flights but withdrew after the first confirmed monkeypox case in the province was recorded in August 2022./PN
