More flights to Boracay via Caticlan, says Cebu Pacific

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Budget carrier Cebu Pacific said it has received go signal from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to land on and take off from either end of the Caticlan airport's runway, minimizing the carrier's flight diversions to Kalibo.

Caticlan is the nearest jump-off point to tourist favorite Boracay Island. Kalibo airport, which is a bigger facility, is about a two-hour land trip away from Caticlan.

"We are delighted that as a result of our re-certification, CAAP has authorized Cebu Pacific to take-off and land in both directions for Caticlan," said Candice Iyog, vice president of Cebu Pacific.

"[This] should make flying to Boracay more convenient for our passengers. However, flights may still be diverted to Kalibo if the runway is wet," Iyog added.

The CAAP earlier designated Caticlan as a one-way airport, which essentially shortened the portion of the runway that could be used despite its actual length. This was done after a Zest Air flight overshot the runway a year ago.

The CAAP order resulted in airlines like Cebu Pacific shouldering land transfer costs from Kalibo to Caticlan for passengers who had original bookings for the latter.

Cebu Pacific operates 13 daily flights to Caticlan from Manila, and 11 weekly from Cebu using its ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Source: More flights to Boracay via Caticlan, says Cebu Pac | ABS-CBN News Online Beta