PAL resumes Clark-Basco flights

GO NORTH The Valugan boulder beach, shown in this 2012 photo, is among the unique attractions awaiting tourists in Basco, the provincial capital of Batanes. The resumption of Philippine Airlines’ Clark-Basco flights this week is seen to benefit tourism and business activities in the country’s northernmost province. —EV Espiritu

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) relaunched on Tuesday its flights from Clark International Airport (CRK) here to the Batanes capital of Basco, years after air service to the northernmost province was halted due to the pandemic.

PAL’s Clark-Basco flights are scheduled every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday via PR 2688, leaving CRK at 11 a.m. and arriving in Basco at 12:35 p.m. PAL’s PR 2689 serves the Basco-Clark service on the same days, leaving Basco at 1 p.m. and reaching CRK at 2:35 p.m.

Rabbi Vincent Ang, PAL Express president, said in a statement that the Clark-Basco service was a “most sought-after domestic route, which allows Basco residents to access opportunities for leisure travel and discover other beautiful attractions across the country.”

READ: PAL to resume Clark – Basco, Batanes flights by July 2

“This returning service also allows Central Luzon residents, business and leisure travelers to fly to picturesque Basco,” he said.

Ang said Central Luzon, through CRK, is a “strategic gateway” to the northern, central, and southern Philippines.

PAL, via CRK, also flies daily to Cebu; thrice weekly to Caticlan to service passengers bound for Boracay in Aklan province; and four times weekly to Busuanga for passengers visiting Coron in Palawan province.

“We are optimizing our operations out of Manila and Cebu and we will progressively work on more flights out of Clark,” Ang said.

CRK has been operated by the private consortium Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp. since 2019. —Tonette Orejas