Philippines-Australia air travel receives a boost

Air travel between the Philippines and Australia has received a shot in the arm thanks to  an agreement between the two  countries aimed at improving trade and tourism. Australian Transport Minister Michael McCormack announced Friday that passenger capacity between Australia and the Philippines would grow by 15 per cent in the next six months and airlines would get unlimited freight services. McCormack said the move would strengthen Australia’s relationship with an important and growing bilateral aviation market that had expanded on average by 9.2 percent over the past five years. “Australian and Filipino airlines will be able to operate an unlimited number of freight services, supporting two-way trade valued at more than $4 billion in 2017. “For farmers and exporters, this means even more opportunities to access Asia’s growing markets. “Passenger capacity entitlements will also increase by 15 per cent over the next six months to accommodate expected growth in services in the coming years.” Both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific fly to Australia and PAL broke new ground when it brought  the first Airbus A321neo to Australia to operate its Manila –Brisbane service in July. Cebu and Philippine Airlines offshoot PAL Express were also recently awarded a seven star safety rating by AirlineRatings. READ: Airline safety rating system upgraded. McCormack also announced revised arrangements with Fiji that would incrase passenger capacity by 20 percent, the biggest increase since 1999. Fiji is a popular holiday destination for Australians and Qantas has a stake in the national carrier, Fiji Airways. “Whether it’s more people travelling to and from the Asia-Pacific on holiday or new opportunities for farmers and regional communities through trade with the region’s markets, this announcement will help create jobs and opportunities in communities around Australia,” McCormack said. “It supports our tourism, trade and cultural links between Australia and Fiji. More than 388,000 passengers traveled between Australia and Fiji in the year to June, 2018." The government says it is continuing to pursue greater liberalization of aviation markets with key countries. It also significantly  expanded air services arrangements between Australia and India in June 2018.