There was a time flying between the Philippine islands or international destinations would take the better part of a day, much of the time spent languishing in transit either in Manila or Cebu. These so-called “connecting flights” may become a thing of the past with the roll-out of more flights connecting new city pairs.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) further strengthened its Visayas and Mindanao network by adding a total of 18 new routes, expanding its inter-island connectivity and giving passengers more direct access and affordable air travel across the airline’s domestic and international destinations.

By December, CEB will operate a total of 73 routes serving Visayas and Mindanao as it opens new routes from its Iloilo, Davao, Cebu and Clark hubs. This expansion will bring the airline’s capacity on Visayas and Mindanao flights to 2.1 million seats from 1.4 million in January 2024 and increase the number of flights operating across the same network to an average of 12,000.

Starting October, Cebu Pacific will fly from Cebu to Masbate, and San Vicente. Clark will now connect with Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa and Tagbilaran. Iloilo will now have flights to Tacloban and Zamboanga. And Davao will have direct flights to Caticlan, Puerto Princesa and Tacloban.

Aside from the new domestic routes, CEB also launched brand new international routes with Cebu connecting directly to Osaka; Iloilo connecting to Hong Kong and Singapore; and Davao connecting to Don Mueang, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

This is all possible with the addition of new aircraft that will be joining CEB’s growing fleet. Cebu Pacific is set to accept a total of 18 aircraft this year, of which 11 have already arrived. On top of this, the airline has also placed an order for up to 152 aircraft from Airbus — the largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history — deliveries of which will start no later than 2029.

“Visayas and Mindanao serve as the gateway to the world’s most beautiful beaches, colorful festivals and vibrant cultures. We are excited to offer the traveling public more opportunities to explore our islands and connect with more communities. This also allows us to boost our hubs outside Manila that will help generate economic opportunities to support the country’s growth agenda,” said Candice Iyog, CEB chief marketing and customer experience officer.

Candice added that data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that “every job in the air transport industry supports 29 other jobs in tourism, supply chain and other related sectors.” This means that with Cebu Pacific deploying up to 128 pilots and cabin crew to man its aircraft deliveries this year, more than 3,700 jobs can be produced.