GMR-MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the private company managing the terminal operations and other related areas of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), welcomes China Southern Airlines and Juneyao Airlines with the launch of its direct flights to Guangzhou and Shanghai, respectively.
On January 22, China Southern Airlines started the Cebu-Guangzhou direct route thrice weekly every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. About 147 passengers arrived in MCIA on its inaugural flight from Guangzhou using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
More connections for Cebu
“As the largest airline in China and a SkyTeam Alliance member, China Southern Airlines will open up more connections for Cebu to Europe and North America via Guangzhou,” said Aines Librodo, GMCAC Head of Airline Marketing and Tourism Development.
China Southern Airlines operates two hubs in Guangzhou and Beijing and is a member of SkyTeam alliance since 2007.
Meanwhile, Juneyao Airlines will launch its Cebu-Shanghai Pudong flight on Thursday, January 24, with thrice weekly flights every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It will utilize an Airbus A320 with a capacity of 158 passengers, with business and economy accommodations.
It is a privately-owned airline and operates two hubs at Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao airports. It is also the launch carrier of the Star Alliance Connecting Partner.
Mainland China destinations
Juneyao Airlines previously operated charter flights in the same route but only for a few weeks in November 2017.
“We are delighted to welcome back Juneyao Airlines to MCIA. With its strong domestic connection, Juneyao Airlines will offer more opportunities for Cebu into the vast Chinese market, specially that it is headquartered in Shanghai,” Librodo said.
Currently, scheduled flights connect MCIA to seven destinations in mainland China namely, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Kunming and Shenzhen. Charter flights are also available during the peak season.
In total, MCIA is connected to 32 domestic destinations and 20 international destinations, with 8 Philippine-based airline partners and 18 foreign airline partners. (Press Release)
