New direct flight from Manila to Sapporo
New direct flight from Manila to Sapporo
November 15th, 2024. From January 16th, next year, Cebu Pacific Airways will launch direct flights between Manila and Sapporo. The service will be the only direct connection between the Philippines and Japan’s most northerly island. Hokkaido is the second largest island in the country and makes up its own prefecture of which Sapporo is the capital.
The new flight comes just in time for the Sapporo Snow Festival which will run from February 4th to the 11th. The festival attracts visitors in their millions who come to see the hundreds of ice sculptures and statues at the Odori Park and Susukino sites, in central Sapporo, and at the Satoland site.
“We are thrilled to be the only carrier to offer non-stop flights between Manila and Sapporo. The launch of this route is a testament to Cebu Pacific’s mission of expanding its international network and making air travel accessible to a wider range of passengers,” said the airline’s president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao.
Three flights a week
The flight will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Flight number SJ5128 departs Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 11:15 and arrives at Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport at 17:25.
The return leg, flight number SJ5128 leaves Sapporo at 18:25 and lands back in Manila at 23:25. The flight duration is approximately five hours and is served by an Airbus A320.
Founded in 1988, Cebu Pacific was Asia’s first low-cost airline. Its first flight was inaugurated on March 8, 1996, with a domestic flight from Manila to Cebu. Since then it has grown to become the country’s largest airline eclipsing the national carrier, Philippine Airlines. Today it serves 35 domestic and 27 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
Picture: One of several snow and ice sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival
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