The city skies will open up again for commercial flights as Philippines airlines Sky Pasada, tagged as the ‘Jeepney of the Skies’, announced that they will resume flights to Baguio via Loakan Airport in Baguio starting September 23.
Sky Pasada’s formal announcement was made in a press conference at the Department of Tourism (DOT) Conference Hall this morning.
Richard Tanglao, the company’s commercial airline manager, announced that initially Sky Pasada will offer a twice a week flights - every Fridays and Sundays with airfares that go as low as P1,995 and with routes that will include Manila-Baguio, Baguio-Tuguegarao and Baguio-Batanes and vice versa.
It will be remembered that Sky Pasada had temporarily suspended its operations in Baguio and other destinations last year to upgrade the safety features of its fleet, which involved installing additional emergency exits and other navigational instruments to their LET 410 UVP-E aircraft.
For the Manila - Baguio route, Tanglao disclosed that they will be using newly purchased aircraft that have just recently been delivered from Europe. These are said to be specifically designed to traverse areas with extreme weather conditions and has the Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capabilities.
DOT Regional Director Pura Molintas welcomed Sky Pasada’s resumption of flights which she said will be good news for the city’s tourism industry as this will add to the city’s accessibility to tourists, both local and foreign.
As for the Loakan airport, Molintas affirmed that the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR), through its Infrastructure Committee which she chairs, and in partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are also set to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the development and upgrading of the airport to accommodate various Philippines airlines.
She also bared that they are looking into the possibility of linking the city with Clark and Laoag International Airports, as they are negotiating to bring in other foreign tourists such as from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to Baguio and to develop the city to become a major hub of tourism and business. (JDP/Lito Dar - PIA CAR)( Philippines Airlines - Sky Pasada )