First Philippine carrier ng Cebu Pacific lalapag sa Dubai

PINALIPAD ng Philippine leading low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) ang kanilang first long-haul flight dakong 4:40 p.m. kahapon. Ang daily 9-hour Manila-Dubai direct service ay nagsilbi bilang “milestone” para sa unang eroplano sa short-haul regional and domestic operations.

Sinabi ni CEB President and CEO Lance Gokongwei sa ginanap na flight launch ceremony, “When you, dear guests, land in Dubai la-ter tonight, it will be aboard the first Philippine carrier to land in Dubai in 15 years. We proudly carry the Philippine flag in this historic moment.”

“When we say we fly to where Filipinos are, we mean it. This was our mindset when we launched our first international flight to Hong Kong in 2001. This remains our mindset as we launch our 22nd international destination now,” aniya.

Ayon sa data mula sa Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), nabatid na ang UAE ay pangalawa sa Saudi Arabia sa pinakamaraming bilang ng land-based new hires and rehires. Noong 2012, mayroong 259,546 land-based workers na naka-deploy sa UAE.

Si Department of Transportation and Communications Undersecretary at Chairman ng Philippine Air Negotiating Panel Hon. Jose Perpe-tuo Lotilla at key officials mula sa Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Civil Aeronautics Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines at Manila International Airport Authority ang nanguna sa “sent off” ng maiden flight passengers mula Manila.

Sa Dubai, ang send-off ceremony ay dinaluhan ni Her Excellency Grace Princesa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines sa United Arab Emirates.

Ang maiden return flight ay umalis sa Dubai dakong 11:10pm (Dubai time) at darating dakong 11:40 a.m. sa kasunod na araw. Lulan din sa na-sabing flight ang 100 Global Filipinos Cebu Pacific na lilipad nang libre, bilang bahagi ng “100 Lucky Juans” contest. Ang 100 Lucky Juans, na ang tagal ng pananatili sa Middle East nang hindi babalik ay hanggang isang taon, ay sasalubungin ng homecoming party sa kanilang pagbalik sa Maynila.

Ang CEB’s Manila-Dubai-Manila service ay gumagamit ng CEB’s brand-new Airbus A330 aircraft, na idiniliber kamakailan mula sa Toulouse, France.