Airline company launches direct flight services from Iloilo to Tacloban City

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
October 7, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Starting October 5, 2012, businessmen and travelers can already travel from Tacloban directly to Iloilo City, thus making the three Regions in the Visayas Islands more accessible.

The Cebu Pacific Air launched on Friday, direct flight services from Iloilo to Tacloban City in the province of Leyte.

The route serviced by an ATR 72-500 aircraft will be on a thrice weekly schedule, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It has an estimated flying time of about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Flight #5J156 of Cebu Pacific leaves Iloilo at 06:05 in the afternoon and arrives in Tacloban at 7:15 in the evening, every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Meanwhile Flight #5J157 leaves Tacloban at 7:35 in the evening and arrives in Iloilo City at 8:45 in the evening.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla who is the chairman of the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council welcomes the new development saying that the introduction of this new route is seen to strengthen the economic ties between Iloilo and the province of Leyte and the Eastern Visayas as a whole.
It will also be beneficial to local travelers who want to explore Iloilo and Tacloban without having to connect flights, Governor Petilla added.

Tacloban is the provincial capital of Leyte and the regional center of the Eastern Visayas (Region VIII). It is a tourism hub and the primary gateway to Eastern Visayas. The region is known for its natural ecological beauty and diversity and for its historical significance in the Second World War.

Some of the most frequented destinations in Leyte include the scenic San Juanico Bridge, the Santo Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, the neoclassical Leyte Provincial Capitol and the monumental MacArthur Memorial Park, and the now famous Kalanggaman Island.

Aside from Iloilo to Tacloban, Cebu Pacific is also opening 5 more inter-island routes to boost Philippines’ most extensive route network.