Minister and Consul General Nina Cainglet of the Philippine Embassy in Canberra, Consul Marford Angeles of the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, Tourism Attache Consuelo Jones and Special Trade Representative Emmanuel Ang witnessed the arrival of the first Cebu Pacific flight from Manila at Sydney International Airport. Also present were Cebu Pacific Chief Executive Adviser Garry Kingshott and Sydney Airports CEO Kerrie Mather. Cebu Pacific General Manager for Long Haul Division Alex Reyes, who was on board the maiden flight, later joined the inaugural ceremony with members of the service crew. Hon. Dan Tehan, Federal Member of Parliament for Wannon, Victoria, and Chairman of the Coalition Friends of Tourism, was the Guest of Honor at the event.
In her remarks on the occasion, Minister and Consul General Cainglet expressed hope that the Cebu Pacific flights between Manila and Sydney will further contribute to forging closer people-to-people links and facilitate greater levels of economic engagement between the Philippines and Australia. Hon. Dan Tehan conveyed the Australian government’s keen interest in further strengthening its ties with the Philippines and said that there is tremendous potential for growth between the two countries in terms of trade and investment.
Cebu Pacific Chief Executive Adviser Garry Kingshott said that the company’s mission is to bring people together through safe, affordable flights, and that the launch of the Manila-Sydney-Manila route is significant given the growing Filipino community in Australia, and will provide Australians the opportunity to discover Philippine tourism destinations. According to Sydney Airports CEO Kerrie Mather, the airport has seen arrivals from the Philippines rise by 16% over the past 12 months and she believes that there is significant potential for further growth as symbolized by the water cannon salute prepared by Sydney Airport to welcome the maiden flight.
A month ago, Cebu Pacific held a series of events at the Grace Hotel in Sydney, in coordination with the office of the Department of Tourism in Sydney, to launch the airline’s entry into Australia.
