- Published on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 21:33
- Written by Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
A new
airline is taking wing to serve premium tourist destinations in the
country by offering passengers the full service of a legacy carrier at
affordable fares.
Magnum
Air (Skyjet) Airlines is launching its first scheduled service by
flying to Basco, Batanes, on December 14, just a month after the Civil
Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) granted the carrier its
airline operator certificate (AOC).
In
an exclusive interview, Dr. Joel Mendoza, Skyjet president and CEO,
said the airline’s flights to Basco will initially be three times a
week—Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The flight will take only 70
minutes on the carrier’s jet plane, a British Aerospace System (BAe)
146-200, which can carry 94 passengers and 3 tons of cargo.
Skyjet will also be
flying from Manila to Busuanga in Palawan (four times a week), beginning
February 15, 2013; to Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay Island, in March
2013; and is considering to fly to Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, a
jumpoff point to the country’s surfing capital of Siargao.
It
is also mulling to fly next year to Virac, Catanduanes, and Catarman,
Northern Samar. While not considered premium tourism destinations,
Mendoza said these destinations are currently underserved by air
services, despite the huge demand for travel there.
“We
are a boutique airline,” Mendoza explained. “We are small but what we
offer is the full service usually found in legacy carriers, like snacks,
comfortable upholstered seats, quality passenger reservations and
check-in systems, etc. We are not low-cost, but we are affordable. We’re
bringing back the frills in flying.”
A one-way fare to
Basco will cost about P6,000 per person, “but we will be offering promo
fares during the lean season,” according to the Skyjet CEO. He said that
Batanes residents will also get “special Ivatan fares.” October to June
is usually the peak season for travel to Batanes.
Skyjet’s
fleet consists of two BAe 146-200 jets, the same planes used by the
British royal family, British Airways, Lufthansa AG and a number of
other European airlines.
“We give premium to
safety, comfort and convenience,” Mendoza said. He added that the BAe
146-200 is the only plane that has been certified to take off from and
land at the Basco airport, which has a steep runway slope of 4.5
degrees, owing to Batanes’s general rolling terrain.
Most commercial
airplanes are certified to take off from and land at airports with a
maximum runway slope of only 2 degrees, or runways which are almost
flat. If a plane will have to operate in an airport with a runway slope
of more than 2 degrees, the aircraft manufacturer’s engineers need to
meticulously test the plane in that runway using its own pilots, before
certifying that the plane can safely operate there.
In the case of Skyjet,
BAe engineers wrote a new aircraft operating manual instructing pilots
on the procedures to take off and land specifically in Basco. The Caap
thereafter approved this after conducting a “proving flight.”
“The
BAe 146-200 is specifically made for short landings and takeoffs. It
specializes in [operating in] unpaved runways so we can assure
passengers of ease in landing even in smaller airports,” Mendoza said.
All
Skyjet’s pilots are Filipinos who have clocked in 10,000+ of hours
specifically on BAe146 Series planes, he added. These veteran pilots
flew for City Jet, Lufthansa and other airlines. “This increases the
safety and reliability of Skyjet’s flight operations,” Mendoza said.
According to Skyjet’s
certificate of public convenience and necessity granted by the Civil
Aeronautics Board, the carrier is allowed to operate charter services
for domestic and international routes, regular scheduled service for
domestic destinations and cargo services.
A dentist by
profession, Mendoza is also a director of the Batanes Cultural Travel
Agency, which has been selling travel packages to Batanes since 2007.
“I just want to promote Batanes as a cultural tourism destination that
will help create more jobs for the Ivatans. Having a direct air
transport service to Batanes will also allow the locals to visit
Manila,” he said.
Capitalized
at P50 million, Skyjet has been registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission since September 2005. Its chairman is Telesforo
Castillejos, former governor of Batanes, while its director of flight
operations is Capt. Antonio Buendia, a veteran commercial pilot and
former president of Philippine Aerospace Development Corp.
In Photo: Skyjet’s
94-seater BAe 146-200 takes off from the runway of Basco Airport.
(Inset) Dr. Joel Mendoza, president and CEO of Skyjet. (Photos of Dr.
Joel Mendoza)
No comments:
Post a Comment