(PHOTO COURTESY)
TACLOBAN CITY – Direct flights from Tacloban City to Iloilo and Davao have resumed as of October 29, strengthening Eastern Visayas’ connections to other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.
This new connectivity is expected to boost regional tourism and facilitate economic ties.
The Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, which already serves flights to Manila and Cebu, now includes routes to Iloilo and Davao, both operated by Cebu Pacific.
The Department of Tourism Eastern Visayas (DOT-8) welcomed these additions, seeing them as vital for promoting Eastern Visayas as a prime travel destination.
DOT-8 Regional Director Karen Rosa Tiopes emphasized that improved air connectivity is essential for increasing visitor arrivals by making the region more accessible.
“This expanded connectivity offers new opportunities to attract tourists from Western Visayas and Mindanao. Local tourism businesses can now more easily collaborate with counterparts in Iloilo and Davao, expanding their market reach,” Tiopes said.
The DOT is also hopeful for future expansions, particularly a Tacloban-Clark route, which would connect Eastern Visayas with Northern Luzon, further enhancing accessibility and tourism growth.
The Tacloban-Iloilo flights are scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, while the Tacloban-Davao flights operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
These routes were originally suspended in 2013 following the devastation of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’.
This relaunch coincides with an extensive rehabilitation project at DZR Airport, which received over PhP1 billion for upgrades to support more flights and larger commercial aircraft.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista inspected the airport on October 11, underscoring its importance as a priority project under the Marcos administration.
Currently, DZR Airport handles up to 21 daily flights to Cebu and Manila, serving over 1.5 million passengers in 2023.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
