CEBU, 12 March 2019: Around 800 delegates from the world of aviation route development are attending Routes Asia in Cebu, Philippines this week.
Hosted by the Philippines Department of Tourism, Routes Asia returned to the country for the second time after being held in Manila in 2016.
The 17th annual Routes Asia forum allows airports in the Asia-Pacific region to meet with key airline decision makers, to develop existing relationships and forge new connections with some of the most influential aviation professionals in the world, while discovering the wider area’s beauty and business potential.
Having recently opened a new terminal that has increased overall passenger capacity to 12.5 million, Mactan-Cebu International Airport is already targeting further expansion, with ambitions to grow capacity to 35 million passengers per year to 2025.
The Philippine Department of Tourism head of route development Erwin Balane said: “Hosting Routes Asia gives us the opportunity to encourage carriers to consider the international gateways of the Philippines.
“We will be able to raise our profile in the Asian aviation community and demonstrate that the Philippines is a multi-gateway destination, where aviation infrastructures are in place and international airports are compliant with international aviation standards.”
“By promoting the Philippines to leading carriers in Asia, we will continue to improve air connectivity from major tourist source markets to the Philippines.”
According to OAG figures, new international airline seat capacity to the Philippines grew by 4.5 million in 2017, and by another 1.79 million in 2018, going from 30 million to 36.3 million since 2016 – an increase of over 20%.
Routes brand director, Steven Small said: “The Philippines has seen fantastic growth in the last few years’. In hosting Routes Asia 2019, the City of Cebu is perfectly placed to welcome more air connectivity by showcasing its growing economy and impressive new airport infrastructure to the region’s key decision makers.”
