New Flights Between the Philippines and Middle East Coming in 2016

Filipinos will soon have more choices for travel to the Middle East as 2016 unfolds. A number of carriers have recently revealed plans to introduce new flights to serve the large overseas Filipino community presently residing in the Middle East with new direct flights planned to Cebu and a return of flights between Dubai and Clark International Airport.

Doha International Airport
Image by RoB/Wikimedia
According to the latest timetables, Emirates will operate a triangular route between Dubai, Cebu and Clark beginning on March 30, 2016. It will be labelled as EK338 and depart Dubai at 2:55 am, before touching down at Cebu at 3:50 pm. It will then continue on to Clark at 5:25 pm. After a brief stopover at Clark International Airport, it will depart back to Dubai at 8:20 pm. The route will be flown daily and like other Emirates flights to the Philippines, it will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

This latest flight for Emirates marks the second time a gulf carrier has flown directly from the Middle East to Cebu. Qatar Airways previously flew from their base in Qatar to Cebu for more than eight years. Although the route experienced high demand, Qatar Airways decided to suspend the route in 2012 for "commercial reasons." The announcement also marks the return of Emirates to Clark, which suspended its Dubai-Clark flights in March 2014 citing "intense competition" and "high tax costs."

In addition, Emirates will also increase its flights to Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport starting March 29, 2016 with four new weekly flights. EK336 will leave Dubai airport at 4:50 pm every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It will arrive in Manila at 5:00 am the following day. EK337 then departs Manila at 6:40 am every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It arrives back in Dubai at 11:40 am.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines will tweak its Abu Dhabi flights. PR656, will continue from Abu Dhabi to Doha beginning on March 28. The return leg, PR657, flies back from Doha to Manila via Abu Dhabi at 10:05 am, returning to Manila at 3:50 am the following day. Airlineroute reports that the flight will operate up to five times a week. There is no indication yet as to whether the flag carrier can or will sell tickets for passengers who want to fly solely between Abu Dhabi and Doha.

The announcement now adds competition for Cebu Pacific, which began flying non-stop to Doha from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on July 4, 2015. The low-cost carrier currently flies two times a week between Manila and Doha.

Even as local carriers expand their footing in the Middle East, they have not done so without expressing concern over competition from established Middle Eastern carriers. Philippine Airlines President Jaime Bautista says that over 70% of travellers flying via Dubai are ultimately bound for another destination, and firmly believes the Manila-Dubai route currently suffers an overcapacity of seats.

The expansion of flights to the Middle East also comes at the heels of an amended air service agreement between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement now increases the allowed flights between the two countries from 28 to 35 per week.

19 comments:

  1. Emirates has all the resources and manpower to mount a 5-star airline services to Cebu, Clark and Manila. To complain about unfair competition is so childish. Emirates will start this route with high hopes and high gamble, so let it start such venture with uncertainty. But I bet, it will reap positive results because it is a 4 or 5-star airline now - understood? Good luck to Emirates Airlines.

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    1. What is so unfair is the billions of dollars being doled out by the government of UAE and Qatar to its airlines. What is unfair is a labor practice without any unions to keep abuse in check. What is unfair is the access of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways to subsidized fuel. Competition is good only when it is on a level playing field.

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    2. Unknown, You are not the first person or airline to complain that the Gulf carriers are being subsidized by their respective government. In fact the US legacy carriers namely Delta, United, and American have complained it to their government. As of now the case is not gaining any ground! They have not been to prove that the gulf carriers are being subsidized! The truth is that the Gulf carrier's product is far superior to the US carriers or Philippine Carriers that is why they have been growing the way they have for the past decade or two. Another key advantage that I will point out is that the middle east is strategically located almost halfway between Asia and Europe that is why it passengers prefer the because of their connections to other flights. As with the labor practice i seriously doubt that the Gulf carriers are being unfair to their workers. I have friends working for each of the three carriers and up till this day I have not heard a single complaint from them. In fact they are better paid that most other airlines' employees. Just take a look at the pilots. They are mostly Caucasian. I'm sure the gulf carriers had to give a very tempting financial package just to hire these pilots from their previous jobs!

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  2. Pal should do the same...
    Cebu-clark-riyahd
    Cebu-bangkok-riyahd
    Cebu-dubai-riyahd

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    1. There is no way of any airlines to operate between Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Thailand - Saudi Arabia relationship has been worse due to Blue Diamond Affair issues.

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  3. Emirates will easily be able to steal the market from Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific and get more passengers because Emirates already has the slots allocated which means that for European passengers the time waiting for flights is less than a couple of hours, no lost luggage no changing between airport terminals. Cathay Pacific will eventually be in a price war with Emirates in Cebu which is good for the consumer since they have dominated flight connections through Hong Kong for a very long time.

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  4. This blog is incomplete without Mr. Hong Kong

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  5. OK Mr. HK, my niece from Riyadh (a nurse) comes home to Ilocos every 3 months for vacation. She flies CebuPac with a round trip fare of $480. She is a newly-wed, that's why.
    Tra la la la la la...

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  6. Do we really need another ill conceived, inane, stupid comment from Mr HK?

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    1. Mr. Hong Kong's New Years Resolution is to visit a mental hospital. Maybe, that's why he's not posting no more. Probably went to check his head for any fuck ups. HAHAHA.

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  7. I hope Mr Hong Kong wore is tuxedo to hospital, the one the CEB flight attendant spilled water on.Hahaha

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    1. Mr. Hong Kong is probably trying to impress the womens at the Hospital with his small Chinese dick and Tuxedo. Haha.

      C'mon, Mr. Hong Kong. Where are you?

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  8. What about the three new weekly flights of EY from AUH?

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    1. What about it..it will surely be a hit as EY is a five star airline

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  9. 31 December 2015 flight from Cebu to Hong Kong: CEB - 29+++ pesos / CX - 25+++ pesos which one would you choose? Cebu Pathetic?! Or the award winning CX...

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  10. EK will be flying between Cebu and Dubai soon...a relef for us as we will stop flying Cebu Pathetic for our domestic flight from the Tanim Bala International Airport.

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  11. After almost 20 days, still no latest news yet? Why don't you close your website for good?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why dont you make your own website then?

      Delete

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