Starting July 2, 2024, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will resume operating flights between Clark and Basco, Batanes.Using an 86-seater De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, PAL will conduct four weekly flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays to revive the operations.
In October 2017, PAL began running the Clark-Basco route; however, due to the pandemic, operations were halted.
What will it look like
At 11 a.m., the aircraft will depart from Clark. and reach 12:35 p.m. in Batanes. The flight back will take off from Basco at 1 p.m. and reach 2:35 p.m. in Clark.
The Clark-Basco route will be serviced by the 86-seater De Havilland Dash 8-400 next generation aircraft.
The flag carrier said in a statement that the direct service between Clark and Batanes will ease and expedite travel for those in Central and North Luzon, as there will be no need to take a transport to Manila by land just to connect to Basco.
Additionally, the service is thought to make it possible for Basco locals to take advantage of business and travel opportunities as well as to further explore other stunning sites across the nation.
Reviving the PAL service
“We are delighted to revive our Clark-Basco service commencing in the third quarter of 2024. Convenient connectivity is essential for travelers who wish to experience our island-destinations. We will endeavor to reopen more routes out of Clark as we continue to grow our network from Central Luzon,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng.
As they continue to expand PAL's network from Central Luzon, he continued, they are also looking to reactivate more lines via Clark.
PAL now operates daily flights from CRK to Cebu, three weekly flights to Caticlan (Boracay), and four weekly flights to Busuanga (Coron), Palawan.
Daily flights are also operated by the airline from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Basco.
