Russian airline eyes direct Cebu flights

MANILA, Philippines – Cebu could soon welcome direct flights from Russia as one of the country’s largest carriers awaits regulatory approval to resume routes to the country, a Filipino diplomat said.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Igor Garlit Bailen said S7 Siberian Airlines has applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to resume flights from the Siberian cities of Irkutsk, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk to both Manila and Cebu.

“We are just awaiting developments from the Civil Aeronautics Board of the Philippines because S7 Siberian Airlines has applied to resume flights from Siberia, specifically from the cities of Irkutsk, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk, to Manila and Cebu,” Bailen told Palace Press Officer Claire Castro in an interview in Kazan, Russia.

READ MORE: Plans for direct Cebu–Russia flights still on the table

The development comes as the Philippines moves to tap Russia as a “non-traditional” tourism market. Bailen noted that Russian travelers — drawn largely to the country’s beaches — tend to spend more than visitors from other nations.

“The Russian market is there to be tapped. They are interested, and they have the resources because, as we know, compared with people from other countries, Russians spend more on tourism,” he said.

Direct chartered tourist flights from Russia began operating last year, with IrAero, another Siberian carrier, flying from Irkutsk and Khabarovsk to Kalibo, Aklan.

The Philippines currently draws most of its foreign visitors from China, South Korea, and the United States.

Bailen’s remarks were made on the sidelines of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s working visit to Kazan for the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit on June 17 to 18, where Marcos and Russian President Vladimir Putin also held a bilateral meeting on food and energy security cooperation.

Marcos likewise invited Putin to the East Asia Summit in Manila in November./ Report by Luisa Cabato

READ MORE: Cebu, Russia’s St. Petersburg to renew sisterhood ties

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