MANILA — In time for Boracay’s soft opening, local carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) will resume flights to Caticlan on Oct. 26, spokesperson Charo Lagamon told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday.
The national government has closed Boracay for six months since April 26 for the island’s environmental rehabilitation.
Shortly after Boracay’s closure, CEB’s management decided to temporarily close operations to and from Caticlan because of the sluggish demand for this route.
Upon resumption of operations in Caticlan, CEB would reduce the flight frequencies due to a strict carrying capacity for the island resort.
“We need to reduce the flight frequency because of the imposed carrying capacity,” Lagamon said, adding that the government would only allow 19,000 tourists in Boracay at any given time.
CEB used to fly eight times a day between Manila and Caticlan.
There are reportedly some changes that the government will impose upon the reopening of Boracay. Among these include requiring tourists to pre-book in a government-accredited hotel before they could fly to the island.
Apparently, the Department of Tourism will implement a “no booking, no entry” policy and will set up a verification booth at the Caticlan Airport and Kalibo International Airport.
Meanwhile, flag carrier Philippine Airlines has announced the resumption of its Manila-Caticlan-Manila, Cebu-Caticlan-Cebu, and Cebu-Kalibo-Cebu flights starting Oct. 28. ( Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
