Aussie airline set to start charter flights to Cebu

CEBU CITY— Starting on December 15, Wild Orchid Airlines of Australia will begin direct chartered flights to Cebu City.

The airline will operate the Darwin-Cebu route. Darwin’s proximity to Asia is the primary reason behind the charter flights, Wild Orchid’s director for global operations David Fleming said.

Darwin, part of Australia’s Northern Territory, is only three and a half hours from Cebu, which is considered one of the Philippines’ popular tourist destinations.

Wild Orchid Airlines will offer direct charter flights based on peak demand.
The charter flights will operate for 20 Saturdays starting December 15. The weekly service is scheduled to run until Dec. 28, 2013.

“Darwin’s proximity to Asia gives us great opportunities. The reality is that our population base cannot sustain additional permanent regular weekly air services to new Asian destinations such as Cebu.”

To service the Darwin-Cebu route, the airline has hired a Boeing 737 and crew from Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier. It offers full-service economy and business-class accommodations.

The direct charter flights will depart from Darwin at 1 p.m. every Saturday. It will leave Cebu at 4:35 p.m.

The airline also boasts of a catered flight with generous baggage allowance of 20 kilograms for economy guests and 30 kilograms for business class.