International airlines resume flights to Kalibo, Boracay

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Airline companies will reintroduce flights to Kalibo International Airport (KIA), the main airport in the province of Aklan, six months after Boracay Island was closed to tourists.

PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL

International and domestic flights will resume on October 26 bringing more tourists for the re-opening of one of the best islands in Asia. 

Last year, tourists coming from China, Taiwan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries significantly dominated the inbound tourism markets in Boracay.

Pan Pacific resumes operations with four daily flights from Kalibo to Incheon, South Korea and a daily direct service from Kalibo to Busan, South Korea.  

Cebu Pacific also has daily flights to Taipei, Taiwan and Incheon, South Korea. Six weekly flights to Shanghai and four weekly flights to Peking on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday will serve mainland China travelers.

Cebu Pacific also flies from Kalibo to Shenzhen in Guangdong, China on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Besides resuming flights to China, South Korea and Taiwan, the airline operates eight daily flights between Kalibo-Cebu and Kalibo-Manila routes.  

Jin Air, a South Korean low-cost airline, will resume its daily flights services between Kalibo to Incheon. Juneyao Airlines also connects Shanghai Pudong travelers to Kalibo on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Air Asia Zest also has five daily flights between Kalibo and Manila. It is also resuming its three daily flights to Incheon and four weekly flights to Busan, South Korea on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and a daily flight to Shanghai, China.  

9 Air, a subsidiary of Juneyao Airlines, will operate three flights per week to Chengdu (Sichuan), Shouguang (Shandong), Canton in China on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines also has daily flights to Manila.  

With the Boracay re-opening, the Kalibo airport also re-opens its doors to international travelers from Foshan (Guangdong), Kunming, Nanjing, Wuhan, Tianjen and Changsha in mainland China, boosting efforts to attract more visitors with increased flights from Kalibo to China from other airlines.