Air transportation in the Philippines

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A Boeing 777 of Philippine Airlines RP-C7774 B777-3F6ER Philippine Al YVR 09AUG13 (9473974357).jpg
A Boeing 777 of Philippine Airlines

Air transportation in the Philippines goes back to the early days of aviation prior to World War II, during the American colonial period of the Philippines. Currently, the Philippines has several registered airline companies, but they are mostly chartered. There are two main domestic airline groups doing business as Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, with AirAsia Philippines competing on some international routes. The domestic market is dominated by the Cebu Pacific group which has a 61% market share, followed by the Philippine Airlines group which has 29%, followed by AirAsia, having a 9% share.

Contents

List of airlines of the Philippines

This list of airlines enumerates local airlines in the Philippines which have a current air operator's certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Note: Destinations in bold indicate primary hubs, those in italic indicate secondary hubs, while those with regular font indicate focus cities.

Passenger airlines

Mainline

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hubs and focus cities FoundedNotes
Cebgo An ATR 72-500 approaching Davao Airport.jpg DGSRQBLUE JAY Cebu
Manila
1995Founded as South East Asian Airlines. Operates as Cebu Pacific.
Cebu Pacific Airbus A330-300 Cebu Pacific AL (CPI) F-WWTR - MSN 1420 - Will be RP-C3341 (9645828995).jpg 5JCEBCEBU Manila
Cagayan de Oro
Cebu
Clark
Davao
Iloilo
Kalibo
Zamboanga
1988Founded as Cebu Air and commenced operations in 1996 as Cebu Pacific.
PAL Express RP-C3018 Dash 8 PAL Express (7165551805).jpg 2PGAPAIRPHIL Manila
Cebu
Clark
Davao
Zamboanga
1995Founded as Air Philippines and commenced operations in 1996. Operates as Philippine Airlines.
Pan Pacific Airlines Pan-Pacific-A320-DVO.jpg 8YAAVASTRO-PHIL Cebu
Clark
Kalibo
1973Founded as Astro Air Philippines and commenced operations in 2017 as Pan Pacific Airlines.
Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines Boeing 777-300ER RP-C7776 LHR 2014-03-29.png PRPALPHILIPPINE Manila
Cebu
Clark
Davao
Kalibo
1930Founded as Philippine Aerial Taxi Company and commenced operations in 1941 as Philippine Air Lines, then 1970 as Philippine Airlines.
Philippines AirAsia Airbus A320-216, AirAsia Philippines JP7528474.jpg Z2APGCOOL RED Manila
Cebu
Clark
Davao
Kalibo
Puerto Princesa
2010Founded as Asian Spirit in 1995. Then it became known as Zest Air in 2008, and then Air Asia Zest in 2013.
Sunlight Air Sunlight Express Airways ATR 72-500.jpg STSEABLUE HUMAN Clark 2020

Regional

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hubs and focus cities FoundedNotes
Air Juan AOAIR JUAN Puerto Princesa 2012
AirSWIFT AirSWIFT Airlines ATR.jpg T6ATXAIRSWIFT Manila
El Nido
2002Founded as Island Transvoyager.
Alphaland Aviation BICBALESIN Clark
Manila
2015
Royal Air Philippines Royal Air Philippines A320 200.jpg RWRYLDOUBLE GOLD Clark 2002A former chartered airline, Royal Air started regular scheduled services under new management since July 2017 using three AVRO146-RJ100 jets.
SkyJet Airlines RP-C5525 BAe.146 Skyjet (7836999276).jpg M8MSJMAGNUM AIR Manila 2005Commenced operations in 2012.
Sky Pasada RP-C3779 Let L.410UVP-E Sky Pasada (7836989454).jpg SPWCCSKY PASADA Manila 2010

Charter

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hubs and focus cities FoundedNotes
Air Link International Airways Manila 1983
Asian Aerospace Corporation Manila 1996
Cyclone Airways Cauayan 1996
INAEC Manila 1993
Island Aviation Inc. Manila 2003
Lionair Manila 2011
Northsky Air Tuguegarao 2010
Pacificair GXPFR Manila 1947
Pacific Global One Aviation Company, Inc. Manila 2011
Platinum Skies Aviation Manila 2017
PhilJets Aero Services Inc. Manila 2012
SEAir International RP-C4319 Airbus A319 Seair (7880145198).jpg XOSGDAIR BLUE Clark
Manila
2012Founded as a spin out from South East Asian Airlines. Now called SEAir International and operates as Charter and Cargo Airline.
Subic Seaplane Subic

Cargo airlines

AirlineImage IATA ICAO Callsign Hubs and focus cities FoundedNotes
PSI PHPSKYPOWER Clark International Airport 2016
2GO PRBOIABAIR Ninoy Aquino International Airport 1988

See also

Related Research Articles

AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations. AirAsia Group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to more than 165 destinations spanning 25 countries. Its main base is klia2, the low-cost carrier terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. Its affiliate airlines Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, and AirAsia India have bases in Bangkok–Don Mueang, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Manila–Ninoy Aquino, and Bangalore–Kempegowda airports respectively, while its sister airline, AirAsia X, focuses on long-haul routes. AirAsia's registered office is in Petaling Jaya, Selangor while its head office is at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc., also known historically as Philippine Air Lines, is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Airport serving Metro Manila, Philippines

Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA, formerly known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport as well as by its codename Nichols Field (Nichols), is the airport serving Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area. Located along the border between the cities of Pasay and Parañaque, about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) south of Manila proper and southwest of Makati. NAIA is the main international gateway for travellers to the Philippines and serves as a hub for Cebgo, Cebu Pacific, PAL Express, and Philippine Airlines, as well as a base for Philippines AirAsia. It is managed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), an attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Legazpi Airport Airport in Bicol Region, Philippines

Legazpi Airport in the Philippines was a major airport in the Bicol Region, serving the vicinity of Legazpi, the capital city of Albay. It has a single runway with dimensions of 2280 x 36 meters, longer than those of the former airports of Bacolod and Iloilo City. The airport can handle medium-sized civilian jets and military aircraft. The airport will be replaced by the new Bicol International Airport once it's opened.

Cebu Pacific Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific and stylized as cebu pacific, is a Philippine low-cost airline based on the grounds of Mactan–Cebu International Airport, Lapu-Lapu City, Metro Cebu, in the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. Its main hubs are Mactan–Cebu International Airport in Cebu and Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, with focus cities at Clark International Airport, Kalibo International Airport, Francisco Bangoy International Airport, Iloilo International Airport, Laguindingan Airport, and Zamboanga International Airport.

Francisco Bangoy International Airport

Francisco Bangoy International Airport, also commonly known as Davao International Airport, is the main airport serving Davao City and the entire Davao Region in the Philippines. It is the busiest airport in the island of Mindanao and the third busiest in the Philippines after Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and Mactan–Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu. The airport has a single 3,000-meter precision runway.

AirAsia Zest

Zest Airways, Inc., operated as AirAsia Zest, was a low-cost airline based at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila in the Philippines. It operated scheduled domestic and international tourist services, mainly feeder services linking Manila and Cebu with 24 domestic destinations in support of the trunk route operations of other airlines. In 2013, the airline became an affiliate of Philippines AirAsia operating their brand separately. Its main base was Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila.

Pacific East Asia Cargo Airlines, Inc. was a cargo airline based in Pasay, Philippines. The carrier served domestic services from the Philippines with two Boeing 727 freighter aircraft. The airline also had an agreement on selected routes flown by Air Philippines. PEAC was also an affiliate airline of TNT Airways, with PEAC operating TNT leased BAe 146 aircraft.

Cebgo Low-cost airline serving the Philippines

Cebgo, Inc., operating as Cebgo, is the regional brand of Cebu Pacific. It is the successor company to SEAIR, Inc., which previously operated as South East Asian Airlines and Tigerair Philippines. It is now owned by JG Summit, the parent company of Cebu Pacific which operates the airline. The airline's main base has been transferred from Clark International Airport, Angeles to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Metro Manila. On April 30, 2017, Cebgo planned to move out from Manila and transfer its main base to Mactan–Cebu International Airport in Cebu City because NAIA has already maxed out its capacity. Currently, it operates an all-ATR fleet, with a total of 15 in service.

Zamboanga International Airport

Zamboanga International Airport is the main airport serving Zamboanga City in the Philippines. The airport is Mindanao's third-busiest airport after Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City and Laguindingan Airport in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. The airport covers a total land area of 270 hectares.

Puerto Princesa International Airport

Puerto Princesa International Airport is an airport serving the general area of Puerto Princesa, located in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is classified as an international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Tandag Airport Airport in Surigao del Sur, Philippines

Tandag Airport is the airport serving the general area of Tandag, the capital city of Surigao del Sur in the Philippines. It is one of two airports in Surigao del Sur, the other being Bislig Airport. The airport is classified as a Class 2 principal airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation and Communications that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.

Tiger Airways Holdings

Tiger Airways Holdings Limited was a Singapore-based holding company for a group of low-cost carriers operating in the Asia-Pacific region. It was formed in 2007 to allow for easier management of the airline subsidiaries, as well as any future expansion, without having to focus on operational issues, leaving those to the airlines themselves. In 2016, Singapore Airlines purchased the company and it was delisted from the Singapore Exchange.

PAL Express, legally known as Air Philippines Corporation and formerly branded as Air Philippines and Airphil Express, is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of Philippine Airlines which is under its ownership. It is PAL's regional brand, with services from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Davao.

Iloilo-Negros Air Express Aviation Corporation, which operated as INAEC Aviation Corporation or INAEC, was an airline company based in the Philippines. Founded in 1932 by the López family of Iloilo as Iloilo-Negros Air Express Company, Inc., it was the first commercial airline in the Philippines. It was later renamed Far Eastern Air Transport Inc. (FEATI) and folded into the operations of Philippine Airlines (PAL) which was re-nationalized by the Philippine government and became the national flag carrier. The company built the Bacolod International Airport in Bacolod City, which was bought by PAL after the acquisition of the airline.

Mactan–Cebu International Airport Airport located on Mactan Island, the Philippines

Mactan–Cebu International Airport is the second busiest international airport in the Philippines. It is located in the city of Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island, a part of Metro Cebu and serves the Central Visayas region. The airport is managed by the Mactan–Cebu International Airport Authority and serves as a hub for Cebu Pacific, Pan Pacific Airlines, and Royal Air Charter Service.

Pan Pacific Airlines

Pan Pacific Airlines is a full-service airline based in the Philippines. It was established in 1973 under the name Astro Air International but was rebranded in 2016 after it began operating to serve the South Korean market. The airline commenced operations on April 27, 2017 with its inaugural flight between Kalibo and Seoul. Its current main hubs are Kalibo International Airport, Mactan–Cebu International Airport and Clark International Airport with flights going to Seoul, Busan and Muan.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines, operating from its base at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. PAL is the oldest airline in Asia operating under its original name, having been founded in 1941.

Royal Air Philippines

Royal Air Charter Service, Inc., operating as Royal Air Philippines, is a Philippine-registered budget airline. The company was established on 22 August 2002 as a chartered airline. It began operations as a budget airline on 14 December 2018, with an inaugural flight from its hub in Clark, Pampanga to the resort island of Boracay in Aklan.