Cebu Pacific resumes daily flights to Dubai from Manila

It's the airline's first long-haul flight to be restored to its pre-Covid capacity

Cebu Pacific will resume daily flights between Dubai and Manila from December 12. Courtesy Cebu Pacific 

Cebu Pacific Air is resuming daily flights between Dubai and the Philippines.

The Philippines' largest airline will fly seven times per week between the UAE and Manila, with daily services commencing on Saturday, December 12, for outbound flights, and Sunday, December 13, for inbound operations.

It's the first long-haul route that Cebu Pacific has restored to pre-Covid 19 levels. Flights are operated via the airline's A330 wide-body jets and return fares start from Dh1,158.

Travellers flying with the airline must wear face masks and face shields at all times. Cebu Pacific has also introduced new digital services to allow contactless journeys. These include non-contact boarding procedures and self-bag-tagging facilities.

All travellers flying to the Philippines, including transit passengers, must download Traze, the track and trace app from the country's Department of Transportation.

Cebu Pacific's long-haul flights to and from Dubai typically accommodate up to 436 passengers. During the pandemic, no tickets are being sold for the last three rows of seats on the aircraft. Instead, this space will serve as an isolation area.

“We have blocked off the seats in the rear section; we don’t sell those seats to create a cordoned-off area. Then, if any passengers have symptoms on the eight or nine-hour journey between Manila and Dubai, they can be isolated in this area," said Alex Reyes, Cebu Pacific Air's vice president of cargo, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

The one million seat sale 

As part of Cebu Pacific's effort to restore travel, the airline is launching a seat sale on Thursday, December 10.

One million cut-price tickets will be on offer on both domestic and international seats, including the airline's Dubai to Manila route. Sale airfares start from 1 Philippine peso ($0.02) for base fares only. Promotional tickets will be available for travel between August and November 2021.