China Eastern Airlines takes off with direct flights from Guangzhou to Cebu

China Eastern Airlines held a special ceremony on Jan 20 in Guangzhou to celebrate the launch of its new direct air route from Guangzhou, Guangdong's provincial capital, to Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines.

Services officially commenced on the same day, as MU 253 took off 14:00 from Guangzhou's Baiyun International Airport and arrived 3 hours later at 17:15 at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The returning flight MU 254 completed the round trip when it took on the same day at 18:10 in Cebu and landed at Guangzhou at 22:05. Further flights will operate between the two cities on every Tuesday and Saturday.

The Guangzhou-Cebu route is the first international route to open at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in 2018 and will be a great bridge for promoting business investment, trade and overseas education between Guangzhou and Cebu, said Zhou Ying, South China Marketing Center of China Eastern Airlines. Zhou also noted that the flights will offer more convenience for Guangzhou citizens to the Philippines. Furthermore, it also services the Belt and Road Initiative aims while helping build Guangzhou into an international aviation hub.

Cebu, is located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. It is a global hub for shipping, furniture-making, tourism, business processing services, and heavy industry.

China Eastern Airlines operates its direct flights from Guangzhou to Cebu on Jan 20. [Photo/Chinanews.com]