Pagadian City (March 2, 2020) – After months of persistent request, Pagadian finally
got the nod from the Philippine Airlines and the transportation department to
bring the country’s flag carrier back in the city on Sunday, first day of
March.
A water salute welcomed the PAL
Airbus A320 that landed around 2:26 Sunday afternoon, marking the successful
journey of the returning Manila-Pagadian route.
On board the inaugural flight were
134 passengers together with aviation officials led by Department of Transportation
Secretary Arthur Tugade, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Gilbert
Santa Maria and PAL Express President Bonifacio Sam. The delegation was treated
with a festive welcome by local government officials and stakeholders of
Pagadian City and Zamboanga del Sur.
The dual-class aircraft bearing
registry number RP-C8610 has a 156-seating capacity with daily scheduled flights.
PAL said that its daily flight
departs at 1PM and arrives in Pagadian at 3PM. Its return flight takes off at
3:40PM and arrives in Manila at 5:40PM.
During the inauguration ceremony, COO
Santa Maria said that the flag carrier is determined to find new ways and
opportunities to connect people, grow new markets and cultivate connections to
improve the economy of Mindanao.
“Through this new route, we hope to
welcome more Filipinos and foreign tourists to fly here to visit the unique
attractions and meet the friendly people of Pagadian City and the rest of Zamboanga del Sur,” he
added.
Mayor Sammy Co expressed his
gratitude to the top executives of PAL and to Sec. Tugade for the special favor
granted to the city in realizing the re-introduction of flights between Manila
and Pagadian.
Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu sees
the return of PAL as breaking the monopoly in the city’s air travel, providing
cheaper air fare for passengers.
Meanwhile, Cong. Divina Grace Yu
cited new projects from DOTR to boost the economy of Pagadian and Zamboanga del
Sur including the improvement of the city’s airport terminal.
Sec. Tugade confirmed this and
promised to come back before Holy Week this year to inaugurate the airport’s
passenger terminal after a renovation of its facilities such as the terminal’s
ceiling, comfort rooms and baggage counter.
The transportation chief also pledged
to equip the airport with night-rated capabilities to handle evening flights if
the LGU acquires additional space to extend its airport runway.
With the return of Pagadian City to
Philippine Airlines’ extensive network, the local government is optimistic that
this will serve as a major driving force to bolster the local tourism industry
and the economy as a whole. (Marlon Panares/PPB-ZDS)
