Filipino carrier set to launch daily Dubai flights

The Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific, has announced it will operate direct daily flights between Manila and Dubai, beginning October 7, 2013.

The airline said in a statement that it will be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai and will be the budget airline’s first long haul destination.

Alex Reyes, Cebu Pacific general manager, Long Haul Division, said: “CEB is proud to be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai. We are glad to be of service to over 700,000 Filipinos who are in UAE."

The airline said it is also offering over 3,000 seats to Dubai for the special fare of PHP888 ($21.80).

This seat sale is available until January 20 for travel from October 7 to January 15, 2014, the budget carrier added.

“With CEB’s direct service to Dubai, Filipinos overseas can look forward to going home more often. Their relatives and friends can also visit them in Dubai more often,” added Reyes. 

Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shows that the UAE ranks second to Saudi Arabia in terms of number of land-based new hires and rehires. In 2010, there were 201,214 land-based workers deployed to the UAE. 

The Manila-Dubai flights will be operated on the Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a configuration of more than 400 all-economy class seats.

The airline previously announced that it will lease up to eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft for its long haul operations.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 23 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Between 2013 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 19 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders.

The carrier operates the most extensive network in the Philippines with 32 domestic destinations and hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark Kalibo, Iloilo and Davao. It also offers 20 international destinations.