TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Borongan, the capital of Eastern Samar, is eyeing to increase Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights at Borongan Airport in anticipation of a surge in passenger demand from July to October.
BORONGAN City is eyeing an increase in the number of PAL flights at the city airport. (FB)
City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said that the existence and eventual increase in the number of flights bode well for the city’s food exportation potential and its projected impact on the city’s economic landscape.
“Philippine Airlines gave hope to our people in Eastern Samar. We were able to put our city on the map for the world to see, and of course, it has boosted our pride and morale.”
In terms of food production, he added that their goal is to encourage people, farmers, and constituents to engage in agri-entrepreneurial business.
With this, he said that PAL is now accepting cargo to Cebu and Manila.
"Cebu is a big market. Malaki ang market ng Cebu (Cebu has a very big market) for marine life, of which our city is very abundant, lalo na 'yung mga (particularly) crustaceans," he said, citing that they also aim to promote the city’s Dukwag Agrikultura program with this recent development.
Since December 19, 2022, Borongan to Cebu flights via an 86-seat PAL aircraft regularly depart every Monday and Friday at 12:30 p.m., catering to the transport needs of both tourists and Eastern Samar natives.
Borongan City Airport is classified as a community airport.
Borongan has made waves as the top regional surfing destination after hosting the Surf in the City festival in 2019 and 2021.
It is the only LGU in the country to mount its departure terminal out of its own funds.
City Information Officer and Flight Operations Chair Rupert Ambil reported that the city government sold a total of 7,439 out of 11,399 seats within the first year of PAL’s operations in the city, marking an accumulated passenger movement that significantly outshines other domestic airports in the country during the first few years of their flight ops.
Of these, 85 to 90 percent were for the Borongan-Cebu-Manila route and vice versa.