The AirAsia Philippines is officially flying to the Seafood Capital of the Philippines, Roxas City, with a "successful" inaugural flight on Thursday, June 16, to kickstart the airline’s operations in its 16th domestic destination.

The maiden flight Z2 343, which departed from the NAIA Terminal 4 at 7:15 a.m., arrived at the Roxas City Airport at 8:30 a.m. carrying 180 guests including AirAsia CEO Ricky Isla, AirAsia Super App Managing Director Ray Berja, other airline executives and members of the media.
The guests on flight Z2 343 were greeted by a cultural dance at the arrival area.
Capiz Governor Esteban Contreras, and Mayor Ronnie Dadivas represented by Roxas City Councilor Atty. Paul Ivan Baticados led the delegation who welcomed the guests along with other regional tourism and trade industry officials and partners.
Its return flight to Manila, Z2 344, departed Roxas City Airport at 9:10 a.m. with a full load, and arrived at the NAIA T4 at 10:25 a.m. AirAsia is initially set to fly to Roxas City three times weekly -- every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Roxas City accepts local and foreign tourists with just the vaccination card as entry requirements.
“We are happy to have successfully launched our maiden flight in Roxas. The pandemic may have pushed back the opening but it also allowed us to focus on strengthening the viability of this route. Expect AirAsia to be driving foreign and local tourists to experience the best of Capiz. We are confident that this expansion will also help in stimulating commerce and growth in other booming sectors, such as ICT and trade," Isla said.
The Seafood Capital of the Philippines attracts local and foreign tourists because of its easy access to other key cities in Western Visayas including the majestic Islas de Gigantes. Roxas City is also becoming an Information Communications Technology (ICT) hub with a number of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies investing in the city.
“From food, history, culture and tourism to economic opportunities, Capiz shows huge promise in terms of growth and development in the Panay Region especially now that we are in the recovery phase. I firmly believe this strong collaboration between private, government and the people of Capiz will propel us to achieving greater heights in all of our shared goals,” Isla added.
To celebrate AirAsia’s successful launch in Roxas City, a music fest was held at the SM City Roxas grounds. The event culminated with a grand fireworks display.