Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has secured increased access to the Philippines' market despite strong opposition from operators such as Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) and Cebu Pacific Air (5J, Manila Ninoy Aquino International).
According to a Ministry of Transportation communique issued following last week's bilateral talks, Qatar will gain four additional weekly flights to Manila Ninoy Aquino International bringing its total weekly service to eighteen flights. The added flights will begin between October 2017 and March 2018.
In tandem to this aspect of the agreement, Qatar Airways has also pledged to begin flights to the southern city of Davao. Despite being the third-most-populous city in the Philippines, Davao is currently starved of longhaul connectivity.
"The inclusion of Davao in the route structure of Qatar Airways will provide much-needed connectivity for Davao to the major markets of the world, especially with Qatar directly connected to 161 international destinations. This connectivity will support Davao's emergence as a major economic and commercial hub of the Philippines," the statement said.
Aside from Manila Ninoy Aquino International, Qatar Airways also serves Angeles City Clark International with a daily B787-8-operated return service to Doha Hamad International.
As previously reported, both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have confirmed plans to terminate several Middle Eastern services citing alleged capacity dumping by airlines such as Qatar Airways.
