As part of its ongoing efforts to establish fresh connectivity between Northern Luzon and the central and southern Philippines, Philippine Airlines said on Thursday afternoon that it will launch a brand-new Cebu-Laoag route in December.

PAL Captain Stanley K. said PAL will begin operating twice-weekly flights between Cebu and Laoag on 15 December 2023, with convenient morning departures:

• PR 2251 Cebu-Laoag: Every Tuesday and Friday, depart at 07:35 a.m. and arrive at 10:05 a.m.
• PR 2252 Laoag-Cebu: Every Tuesday and Friday, depart at 10:25 a.m. and arrive at 12:35 a.m.

PAL president and COO Captain Stanley K. Ng said the airline welcomes the holiday season with a historic air link between Cebu and Laoag City.

Open up a new market

This brand-new service will help the airline open up a new market for tourists and business travellers by connecting the Ilocos Region via nonstop flights to Cebu and beyond to other cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Ng added that travellers can expect more convenient connections that boost tourism and help spur economic development in different areas of the Philippines as they progressively expand their domestic network.

More flights to be mounted

PAL executives also said they expect to mount more flights in and out of their Mactan-Cebu hub in the coming months.

According to PAL, the airline previously operated two special flights between Cebu and Laoag in May 2023 in order to support the Himala Sa Buhangin Festival in Laoag.

Currently, PAL operates its 4x weekly Cebu-Baguio and Baguio-Cebu flights; another pioneer north-south route was launched back in December 2022.

The Cebu-Laoag route will be flown with PAL's quiet and comfortable De Havilland Dash 8-400 Next Generation aircraft, offering 86 seats, including six  Comfort Class seats.