Philippines’ AirAsia has announced changes to its routes from Clark International Airport.  The low-cost airline will be adding two international routes to Singapore and Taipei, but cancelling routes to Macau and Puerto Princesa (Palawan).

Flights to Singapore will commence on December 1 and flights to Taipei will commence on December 15, 2012.

Commenting on the new international routes, Philippines’ AirAsia CEO Maan Hontiveros said: “”With our two new international routes, we would like to draw in-bound tourist to the country and help contribute to tourism dollar revenues.

“We need to build up routes within an infrastructure that supports low-fare services since we are in an industry that is not immune to rising fuel cost and operational challenges. We intend to open up new international routes within these markets, as well as add frequencies on existing routes, thanks to the aggressive campaign of Department of Tourism in promoting the country abroad.”

Passengers holding tickets on the cancelled flights will be contacted with their options for obtaining a refund.

On June 9, 2012, AirAsia Philippines launched daily direct flights from Manila (Clark) to Kuala Lumpur. This is the airline’s first international route since it began operations in March this year.

In a statement, AirAsia Philippines CEO Marianne Hontiveros said: “We want to draw tourists from Malaysia to our amazing beaches and natural wonders. If we are able to draw even a fraction from Malaysia’s 24.5 million tourists, this will impact on our arrival record.”

AirAsia Philippines is a regional branch of AirAsia, the largest budget airline in Asia, and is owned 60% by investors in the Philippines and 40% by Malaysia’s AirAsia International Ltd.

AirAsia Philippines also offers domestic flights from Manila (Clark) to Kalibo, Davao, and Puerto Princesa. Its second international destination will be Hong Kong with service commencing in July 2012.

AirAsia Philippines has announced it will begin flying from Manila (Clark) to Hong Kong in July 2012. This will be the budget airline’s second international destination, following the launch of flights to Kuala Lumpur on June 9.

AirAsia Philippines, the regional wing of AirAsia, will offer direct daily flights to from Manila (Clark) to Hong Kong.

Marianne Hontiveros, the Air Asia Philippines CEO, made the announcement: “We will fly once daily to Hong Kong in July. This will be our second international destination since we got our AOC in February.”
“We have plans to also fly to Singapore. That’s in the works. We are also looking at Bangkok, South Korea, points in China and Macau. If we can get the Category 2 status lifted, we want to fly to Japan as well,” she added.

The latest information about this new route, including flight times and prices, can be found at www.airasia.com.