Baguio is back in the route of the Philippine Airlines with four flights weekly starting December 16.
The red, blue and yellow colors will be seen flying the skies of the city as PAL starts its Cebu-Baguio flight next Friday.
Baguio was the first destination of PAL when five passengers were flown from Makati to Loakan in Baguio in March 15, 1941 aboard a Beechcraft Model 18 plane that started the age of Philippine aviation.
On March 16, 86 passengers are expected to disembark at the 1.636 kilometer Loakan Airport as the first to do so in years flown in by the national carrier.
The first passengers will set foot at the airport at 10:50 AM, two hours after departing from the Mactan International Airport in Mactan, Cebu.
“We are very happy to have this chance to serve the people of Baguio City once again, this time with new connectivity to Cebu that links two of the Philippines’ key tourist and business destinations,” said PAL President and COO Capt. Stanley Ng in a press release.
He added: “This is a comeback for Philippine Airlines, as we began operations nearly 82 years ago when our first commercial landing took place here in Baguio, the dawn of the Philippines ‘age of aviation’.”
“This direct two-hour flight will ease the burden of hopping on multiple connecting trips via both land and air, and will allow travelers from Northern Luzon to have extra time to enjoy Cebu once they get there,” said PAL Express President Rabbi Ang.
He added: “We are optimistic that this new service will help the ongoing revival of domestic tourism, as the peak holiday season fast approaches.”
The landing of the De Havilland Dash and Series 400 Next Generation aircraft will also open the newly rehabilitated airport to commercial operations. Last November 28, PAL conducted a series of test flights supervised by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines which the PAL officials said were success as they tried landing at both approaches.
Ang summed: “The success of our test flight assures us that it is all systems for our comeback to Baguio.”
Flights will be every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong assured during the PAL press conference at the Baguio Country Club recently that the airport is ready to accommodate the PAL planes with introduction of renovations at the airport including clearing of structures abutting the runway. Pigeon Lobien
