Cebu Pacific adds Russian routes in major international expansion

Cebu Pacific Air will launch its first flights to Russia, as part of a major international expansion plan.

The Philippines’ Civil Aeronautics Board has granted the low-cost carrier a series of new route entitlements, allowing it to expand its operations in Russia, the Middle East and Taiwan.

With its new status as an official Philippine carrier to Russia, Cebu Pacific has been granted permission to operate up to three weekly flights from Manila to Moscow and Vladivostok. It was also given permission to operate an additional seven flights weekly from Manila to any airport in the UAE, on top of its existing daily flights to Dubai.

And finally Cebu Pacific has been given permission to operate flights from various points in the Philippines to the Taiwanese cities of Taipei and Kaohshiung.

“We sincerely thank and commend the members of the Civil Aeronautics Board for enabling… Cebu Pacific to expand operations to key international destinations,” said Atty JR Mantaring, Cebu Pacific’s vice president of corporate affairs. “We’ve always maintained that traffic rights are valuable resources that must be rationally allocated to carriers that are willing and able to utilise and operate flights.”

While no schedules of the new routes to Russia, the UAE or Taiwan have yet been confirmed, Cebu Pacific said it “looks forward to mounting additional flights… and opening new routes to stimulate travel in emerging markets.”

This follows a series of recent international route launches for Cebu Pacific; on 17 December the airline launched three new routes – Manila-Fukuoka, Cebu-Taipei and Davao-Singapore – and it is planning to commence a new Manila-Guam service in March 2016.

Cebu Pacific now flies to 60 destinations with a fleet of 55 aircraft.