Cebu Pacific announced it will operate direct daily flights between Manila and Dubai, beginning October 7, 2013.
Cebu will be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai. Daily flights from Manila to Dubai are scheduled to depart at 4:40PM (Manila time), while flights from Dubai to Manila depart at 11:10PM (Dubai time). It will be the budget airline’s first long haul destination.
“Cebu is proud to be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai. We are glad to be of service to over 700,000 Global Filipinos who are in UAE. Now, our kababayans in Dubai can enjoy fares that are up to 40% lower than current offerings and fly direct to Manila, a mere 9 hours away from their loved ones, via a Cebu flight,” said Alex Reyes Cebu Pacific General Manager, Long Haul Division.
“With Cebu’s direct service to Dubai, Filipinos overseas can look forward to going home more often. Their relatives and friends can also visit them in Dubai more often,” added Reyes.
Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shows that UAE ranks second to Saudi Arabia in terms of number of land-based new hires and rehires. In 2010, there were 201,214 land-based workers deployed to UAE.
“Dubai is the largest long-haul market to and from the Philippines. IATA PaxIS data indicate more than 70% of passengers in this route take multiple stops, and connecting flights because no home carrier offers a non-stop service,” said Reyes.
Cebu’s Manila-Dubai flights will be operated on the Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a configuration of more than 400 all-economy class seats. Guests can also enjoy WiFi connectivity inflight. Cebu previously announced that it will lease up to eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft for its long haul operations. The airline will take delivery of two Airbus A330 aircraft this year, and an additional two in 2014. The Airbus A330 has a range of up to 11 hours which means Cebu could serve markets such as Australia, Middle East, parts of Europe and the US.
Cebu Pacific currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 23 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR 72-500 aircraft. Its fleet of 41 aircraft is the one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world. Between 2013 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 19 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. The airline operates the most extensive network in the Philippines with 32 domestic destinations and hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark Kalibo, Iloilo and Davao. It also offers 20 international destinations, namely Bangkok, Bali, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon (Seoul), Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei and Xiamen.