The Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and the Aboitiz InfraCapital Cebu Airport Corporation (AICAC) officially welcomed three new international flight routes this week, connecting the central Philippine hub to Brisbane, Australia; Hanoi, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The addition of the new services is expected to bolster economic links and contribute to the region’s recovery following a recent typhoon. The new route from Brisbane, operated by the Qantas Group’s low-cost aviation group Jetstar Airways, began service on Wednesday.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown called the new connection a “tangible demonstration of the Australian government’s commitment to do more business with the Philippines and facilitate greater economic links.”

Innes-Brown stressed that the service is aimed at establishing a long-term connection while also providing short-term aid.

“The timing of the introduction of this service will hopefully make a contribution to Cebu’s recovery from the terrible typhoon a few weeks ago,” he said.

The new route follows an updated air services agreement between the Philippines and Australia in September, which aims to double passenger capacity from 35 to 70 weekly flights to primary Australian cities by the fourth quarter of 2026. Jetstar, which operates over 130 routes to more than 50 destinations, previously launched direct flights from Perth to Manila in November and already operates five Western Australia-to-Asia routes.

Meantime, the Department of Tourism (DoT) cited the direct access to the Central and Southern Philippines as a significant economic benefit for both Cebu and Philippine tourism.

Travelers from Brisbane will have easy access to Cebu’s beach resorts, Spanish colonial landmarks and ferry connections to neighboring islands like Bohol and Siquijor.

Australia is one of the Philippines’ top inbound markets. Data from January to November 2025 showed Australia climbed to the fourth largest source market, accounting for 5.6 percent of total arrivals with 293,588 visitors and roughly a 16 percent year-on-year growth.

DoT data further disclosed that 66 percent of Australian visitors are focused on vacations rather than business, meaning they are primed to spend on leisure activities, accommodations and dining.

Around 53 percent of Australian visitors are repeat travelers to favorites such as Cebu City, Boracay and Puerto Princesa.

Two additional international flights also arrived at Mactan Cebu International Airport this week.

The first-ever direct flight connection between Cebu and Vietnam, operated by Vietnam Airlines from Hanoi, arrived on Wednesday. The inaugural flight was welcomed by Ambassador to the Philippines Lai Thai Binh.