PH Ambassador to Japan Sends Off Cebu Pacific’s Maiden Flight

From left: Philippine Embassy in Tokyo Tourism Attaché Niel Ballesteros, Narita Airport Chief Executive Officer Akihiro Tamura, Cebu Pacific Country Manager Tomohiko Matsumoto, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog, Ambassador to Japan Jose C. Laurel V and Narita Airport Office Administrator Yasuo Ishii. (Tokyo PE photo)

TOKYO 22 August 2019 — Ambassador to Japan Jose C. Laurel V sent off Cebu Pacific Air’s maiden flight from Narita International Airport to Clark International Airport on 9 August 2019, with grateful Filipinos and Japanese tourists conveniently seated on board the four-hour flight from Tokyo to Clark, Pampanga.

Cebu Pacific Air’s new international route aims to harness the potential market of leisure and business travelers to Central and North Luzon, provide more travel options to Filipinos, and enable opportunities for trade and investments from Japan to Clark and Subic.

“Japan is the fourth source market for Philippine international arrivals. Records show that 631,801 Japanese nationals visited the Philippines last year, with 8.15 percent growth rate compared to 2017 figures. The Philippines is now the fourth biggest destination for Japanese overseas students. Japan is also home to more than 270,000 Filipinos, with many of them making the return journey to the Philippines on a regular basis. The new route will be beneficial to those Filipinos whose hometowns are in Luzon provinces,” Ambassador Laurel remarked. 

Ambassador Laurel also said that the direct route to the Clark Special Economic Zone supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to make New Clark City the growth driver for northern Luzon and the “next big metropolis”.

He highlighted the government’s Build, Build, Build Program, which features several infrastructure projects aimed at bolstering economic activity in the region.  

Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog echoed Ambassador Laurel’s observation.

“The nonstop development of hotels, restaurants and transportation system in Clark is evidence of its growing economy and an expectation of receiving visitors, both for leisure and business,” Ms. Iyog said.

The launch of the new international route between Tokyo and Clark is a result of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo’s successful negotiations with the Japanese Government for more direct flights between the Philippines and Japan.

Philippine-Japan bilateral relations have been experiencing what many observers dubbed as “Golden Age,” with enhanced partnership in many sectors, including greater air connectivity. END

Cebu Pacific Air Flight 5J 5069 gets a water cannon salute at the Narita International Airport. (Tokyo PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.tokyo.philembassy.net or https://www.tokyope.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinJapan/.