Airphil Express increased flights to Cebu-Hong Kong

Lucio Tan-led Airphil Express said it is ready to battle toe-to-toe with leading budget carrier Cebu Pacific with the launch of its Cebu-Hong Kong route last July 28.As the country’s main industrial zone outside Manila, Airphil said Cebu attracts domestic and foreign tourists and investments because of good infrastructure and a dynamic export industry, and serves as gateway to some of the world’s most breathtaking shorelines and nature attractions.Hong Kong, host to many thousands of overseas Filipino workers, remains an important business hub, shoppers’ paradise among middle-income Filipinos, the airline said.

The decision to launch the first Hong Kong flight of Airphil Express from Cebu is an acknowledgment of the valuable business that the province brings into the country in terms of trade and tourism, said Alfredo Herrera, Airphil Express senior vice president for marketing and sales.The addition of the Cebu-Hong Kong route follows Airphil’s launch of its international flight to Singapore in December last year.From cornering 2.9 percent of the market share during the airline’s pre-rebranding period in 2009, the carrier’s slice of the domestic market in 2010 grew to 11 percent, representing some 1.9 million passengers on its first full year of operations.