The Federal Agency for Air Transport Agency (FAATA) of the Russian Federation welcomes the proposal of Governor Gwen Garcia to open direct flightsd from Russia to Cebu and vice versa.
During a meeting with Lev Kosinov, the head of the Department of Transportation Regulation and International Cooperation of FAATA, said they are open to the idea of Russian fleets flying direct to Mactan Cebu International Airport as long as there is a market for them compete effectively and to make a profit.
Kosinov said Aeroflot Russian Airlines, the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia, signified interest to fly to Cebu once there is already a market.
“I have spoken to Aeroflot a while ago and they are interested to explore these destinations, especially if there is a demand from travel agencies,” he said in Russian as translated by an interpreter present during the meeting.
Kosinov said that as of now, he does not see a high demand to operate a full commercial flight but that this can be achieved through agressive marketing which can be done by travel agencies.
He even suggested that aside from flights from St. Petersburg to Cebu, the direct flights may also come from Moscow.
“Why not start from Moscow? From my commercial point of view, Moscow will be more logical and profitable,” he told Gov. Garcia.
Kosinov explained that their market indicator for airlines to fly to Cebu as of last year was already at 87 percent, but they needed to reach their 92 percent requirement for it to become commercially viable.
Governor Garcia told Kosinov that establishing direct flights to Cebu is not only for tourists as Cebu is also interested in welcoming Russian investments.
The governor noted that Aeroflot is flying direct from St. Petersburg in Russia to Phuket, Thailand which is only less than an hour more if it was flying direct to Cebu.
“It has already been done, we hope that the next direct flight will be to Cebu,” Gov. Garcia said.
Likewise, Kosinov said that if there will be Filipino airlines that will fly to Russia and land in any of their airports, they are also ready to grant them any assistance. “I confirm our openness and eagerness to grant any assistance to your airline in terms of granting permission to fly on our Russian airspace,” he said.
What the Russians want is an assurance that if any of their Russian fleet fly to Cebu, will be served by the ground and fuel services, to which Gov. Garcia assured that they will be welcomed and served by the Mactan Cebu International Airport, where she sits as one of the members of the MCIAA Board.
“We must absolutely be sure that our aircrafts are 100 percent safe to fly to the Philippines in Cebu,” Kosinov said in Russian as translated by an interpreter during the meeting.
To allay his doubts, the governor explained that MCIAA is governed independently from other airports in the country which are under the management of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The governor said the management of Cebu’s airport was created under a special law that allows the MCIAA to independently operate from that of other airports.
“We will see to it that MCIAA will be very accommodating,” Garcia assured.
INVITATION
To finalize the details, Governor Garcia invited Kosinov along with other FATA officials and Russian tourism stakeholders to come to Cebu and meet with their Filipino counterparts this coming August to discuss the details in achieving this plan, one of which is to market the exchange of tourists.
Russian Consul to Cebu Armi Lopez Garcia, who was also present during the meeting said the Winter Escapade exchange is being mulled wherein Russians fly to Cebu to escape from the cold and Filipinos fly to Russia to experience winter.
Among those the governor invited are travel agencies, whom Kosinov said can help create a demand to make the operation of direct commercial flights possible.
CONNECTING FLIGHTS
Aside from direct flights, Garcia also explained to Kosinov that because Cebu is located at the center of the Philippines, its geographical advantage can be a hub for connecting flights from Russia going to other neighbouring countries.
The governor noted that some airports no longer think of only the tourism arrivals but also the economic opportunities that layover flights can give, which can be done in MCIAA. “They are expanding their airports not for the passengers but for duty free shopping,” she said.
The meeting between FATA and Cebu happened on Monday, June 3, 2024 at the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency headquarters in Moscow City. This is the first meeting since Cebu forged a sisterhood relationship with Saint Petersburg in 2009.
Aside from Kosinov, other FATA officials, representative from the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from Russian airlines were also present to discuss the operation of direct flights from Russia to Cebu and vice versa by either a Russian or a Filipino airline.
The governor was also accompanied by Philippine Embassy in Moscow Vice Consul Atty. Leslie Bustamante; a representative of Department of Transportation (DOTr), Atty. Maria Cecilia Paguirigan who heads the Air Carrier Accounts and Field Audit Division - DOTr; and Cebu Provincial Board Members Glenn Anthony Soco and Andrei “Red” Duterte. | KNB
