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Cathay Dragon A320 at the Davao International Airport. It arrived & departed on schedule |
WHAT: Cathay Pacific Group formally launches Davao-Hong Kong direct link
WHEN: October 28, 2018
WHERE: Francisco Bangoy International Airport
From everyone’s favorite holiday destination, Hong Kong, to the King City of the South, Cathay Dragon A320 lands at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport for the first time. The arrival marks another significant event for the airline as it opens service to a direct link for the Mindanao travelers to explore the world.
Cathay Pacific’s maiden flight to the Philippines was in 1946 and today, it’s one of the biggest international carriers in the country.
Expanding its wings, the Cathay Pacific Group added Davao as its newest destination. The new flight service, the only non-stop flight between Hong Kong and Davao City, provides customers from Southern Philippines a very convenient option to connect through the airlines’ HK hub to over 200 destinations across the globe.
The new direct link’s first passengers from Hong Kong to arrive in Davao on schedule on October 28. Among the arriving travelers were the airline executives, Hong Kong VIPs and tourists. A festive welcome greeted everyone as they officially stepped on Davao soil.
In a short program, the official HK delegation headed by Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific Group’s Commercial and Cargo Director, was welcomed by Davao City Vice-Mayor Bernie Al-ag, in behalf of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, and delivered this message: “This is truly a game changer for many of our travelers from Davao. I invite more people from around the world to visit our city and discover the rest of the region as well.”
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Cathay Pacific Group’s Ronald Lam & Davao City Vice-Mayor Bernie Al-ag |
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Vice Mayor Bernie Al-ag with Cathay Pacific Group executives Maggie Yeung, Ronald Lam & Rob Bradshaw |
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VIPs from Hong Kong |
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Visiting guests from HK at the VIP lounge |
The gathering was a send-off as well. The first batch of Davao travelers boarded the plane and left for Hong Kong on time. Staying on schedule is one of the Cathay Pacific’s undertaking to deliver a “Life Well Traveled” experience.
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Passengers on the first Davao to Hong Kong of Cathay Dragon |
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Boarding time |
“We are happy to extend Cathay’s signature airline experience to people from Davao and the rest of Mindanao. We hope that this route makes it easier for more people from around the world to discover the beauty, history and potential of Mindanao,” said Lam.
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Ronald Lam welcomed by the Mutya ng Dabaw 2018 beauties |
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Rob Bradshaw with the Hiyas ng Kadayawan 2018 |
Davao City is Cathay Pacific Group’s fourth destination in the country, complementing existing services to Manila, Cebu and Clark. Its regional airline, Cathay Dragon, will fly four times weekly directly between Hong Kong and Davao City.
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Davao City Vice-Mayor Berni Al-ag with Cathay Pacific VIP and delegation from Hong Kong |
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Cathay Pacific team at the Davao International Airport |
For travel stories, visit www.jeepneyjinggoy.com
Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com
Also published in the SunStar Davao newspaper