Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air is the first airline to operate scheduled night flights to Cagayan de Oro’s (CDO) Laguindingan Airport after the hub was equipped last year with navigational equipment for night operations.
On March 12, the carrier’s flight 5J 211 arrived in Cagayan de Oro at 8:20 p.m. from Cebu and the return flight via 5J 212 left Cagayan de Oro at 8:40 p.m. Cebu Pacific currently operates 13 weekly flights to and from Cagayan de Oro via Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao.
“We continue to look at our options for expanding services, and we look forward to serving even more passengers to boost trade and tourism in Northern Mindanao,” Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution, said in a statement.
Cebu Pacific’s subsidiary, Tigerair Philippines, is also set to operate night flights from Cagayan de Oro on March 29, via flight DG 7807 departing the city at 10:10 p.m. and arriving in Manila at 11:40 p.m.
In November last year, navigational equipment for night operations was installed at Laguindingan Airport. After a series of technical reviews and consultations with aviation authorities including the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Laguindingan Airport has been declared ready to accommodate night flights.
On February 10, Laguindingan officially extended its operating hours to between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. from the previous 6 a.m. to 6p.m.
The volume of passengers at the Northern Mindanao hub declined 2.37% in 2014 due to limited flights.
Laguindingan Airport is the main air hub serving the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte, and the rest of Northern Mindanao.
The airport started operations in June 2013, replacing Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro.
The government is set to bid out the P14.62-billion operations and maintenance project for Laguindingan, which is one of two airport projects packages under a public-private partnership scheme. The winning concessionaire will undertake immediate expansion of Laguindingan’s passenger terminal buildings, apron, and other airside and landside facilities as well as any capacity augmentation to cater to future demand throughout the contract term.
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