DOT-8 hopes for opening of more flights in Eastern Visayas

NAVAL, Biliran, July 3 -- The Department of Tourism in this region hopes that more flights will be opened in major areas in Eastern Visayas to provide fast and convenient travel to local passengers and tourists.

This as charter airline Air Juan opened a flight in Naval town which had made the province more accessible not only by land travel but even by air.

“This is what we are really hoping for. We hope that in the coming days Air Juan or other airline service providers will also offer flights to other places in the region that has no existing operation of big airline carrier,” DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said.

Airline carriers such as Philippine Airline and Cebu Pacific are currently operating in airports located in Tacloban, Calbayog, Catarman and Ormoc while Air Asia only operates at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban.

“Eastern Visayas has so many destinations which tourist can enjoy but the problem is the hassle on traveling because most of them are very far from the airports,” Dir Tiopes added.

She cited as example the province of Eastern Samar and Southern Leyte that are known for beautiful beaches good for diving, surfing and snorkeling and favorite place of foreign tourist visiting Eastern Visayas.

From Tacloban, it takes four hours to reach Borongan City, Eastern Samar's capital, as well as Guiuan town, the surfing capital of Eastern Visayas and Maasin City in Southern Leyte.

“They already wasted so much time in travelling alone, instead of enjoying immediately tourist needs to experience a grueling hours to reach their destination, we hope in the tourism department that other airline company will also offer flights in other areas in Eastern Visayas so that more people will enjoy what we are offering,” Tiopes added.

Air Juan CEO John Anthony Gutierrez told PNA that opening flights in Biliran province is living up to their goal as an aviation company to provide airline services in places where other aviation companies will not dare to go.

“If there is a market, we would like to help that province or that municipality connect but we still need to study or check the area,” Gutierrez said.

At present, the aviation company is providing air travel to Boracay, Cuyo Island, Coron and Palawan.

It also offers travel to Baler, Boracay, Busuanga, Galera, Marinduque and Subic through seaplanes. (Roel T. Amazona/PNA)