Direct flights between Cebu and Russia pushed

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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu may soon host its first direct connection to Europe.

The Capitol recently unveiled plans of pushing direct flights between the island province and Russia as means to further spur economic activities and promote tourism between the two countries.

During her official trip to Russia, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia met with Russian air and transport officials in the capital, Moscow City, last Monday, June 3 to discuss the possibility of mounting direct flights linking Cebu and Russia.

In the meeting, based on a report from Sugbo News, the Federal Agency for Air Transport Agency (FAATA) welcomed the province’s proposal.

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According to Lev Kosinov, chief of FAATA’s Department of Transportation Regulation and International Cooperation, some airline companies have already signified interest in offering direct flights to Cebu. This included the country’s flagship carrier, Aeroflot Russian Airlines.

However, more work needs to be done before such plans can come into fruition.

More work

Russia’s transport regulators pointed out that currently, they saw no ‘high demand’ for flights going to Cebu from Russia.

In addition, market indicators showed that operating full commercial flights between the two destinations had not reached commercial viability yet.

But both FAATA and the Capitol agreed to implement strategies to make these plans possible.

Cebu’s officials considered putting up a tour package to market the island to Russians looking to escape the harsh winter in the country, as well as to investors who want to open businesses here.

Garcia, for her part, invited Russian officials to visit Cebu this August to further discuss details in achieving their plans.

She also assured Kosinov that once green-lit, Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) will welcome and accommodate Russian planes.

“We will see to it that MCIAA will be very accommodating,” she said.

Garcia is in Russia to renew sisterhood ties between Cebu and St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest city. She is also expected to speak at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.