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SOUTHEAST Asian Airlines (Seair) has asked the Civil Aeronautics
Board (CAB) for seat entitlements to mount flights in Macau and Hong
Kong from Clark, in a bid to serve the growing demand for overseas
Filipino workers and local tourists.
In a filing with the CAB, Seair wants 2,520 seat
entitlements, allowing the airline to fly twice daily to the
world’s top gambling destination from Clark. The carrier also
wants the same number of seat entitlements to Hong Kong, allowing it
to fly twice daily from Clark.
The Philippine air panel and its counterpart in
Macau recently completed an air service agreement raising total seat
entitlements to 13,100 a week from 850.
Of the total, 3,600 seats will be allocated for
Manila and Macau, vice-versa; 6,000 seats for Clark and Subic; and
another 3,500 seats weekly for carriers outside Manila.
Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific and
Asian Spirit earlier expressed interest in tapping the world’s top
gambling destination. PAL had said that it needs 1,050-weekly seat
entitlements to Macau from Manila. The Lucio Tan-owned airline began
flying on May 1 with 450 weekly seats entitlements or five times a
week through a temporary operating permit.
Also, the Philippines and Hong Kong government
have agreed to 23,800 seat entitlements per week for each state. Of
the total, 15,000 had been allocated to Manila, 6,300 to Clark and
the remaining 2,500 to Cebu.
Avelino Zapanta, Seair president said the
application for seat entitlements in Macau and Hong Kong forms part
of the airline’s expansion since last year.
“We are looking to operate the Macau and Hong
Kong as soon as possible, despite this development,” Zapanta said,
referring to rising fuel costs.
The airline’s expansion plan had been delayed
for more than a year because of the CAB’s failure to approve the
lease agreement with Singaporean budget airline Tiger Airways for
two brand new Airbus aircraft.
In September 2006, Seair signed a lease
agreement with Tiger Airways for the two brand-new 180-seater A320
aircraft.
Rivals Cebu Pacific, PAL, Asian Spirit and Air
Philippines separately filed oppositions to the agreement before the
CAB on the ground that Tiger is using Seair to access domestic
operations.
The new aircraft will be used for its regional
flight expansion.
At present, Seair has 11 aircrafts, of which
four are Dornier 328 and seven Let 410 UVP-Es.
Seair flies 18 routes to local tourist
destinations such as Manila; Caticlan (Boracay) and Cebu in the
Visayas; Clark in Northern Luzon; Busuanga, Cuyo, El Nido, Puerto
Princesa and Rodriguez in Palawan; Camiguin, Cotobato, Zamboanga,
Jolo, and Tawi-Tawi in Mindanao.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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