MANILA – Demand for private air charter service is starting to pick up this year as travel restrictions are being relaxed and the economy reopens, PLDT’s aviation arm Pacific Global One Aviation (PG1) said Thursday.
“We have been getting a lot of inquiries, especially from corporations, on our air transport services. Companies are looking for a safer way to travel as the government gradually eases restrictions and opens up the economy,” Leo A. Gonzales, PG1 officer in charge and president, said.
He cited a report by market research firm Technavio, saying that the global air charter services market will expand by more than $7 billion through 2024 on the growing demand for both passenger and cargo services.
Even in a worst-case scenario, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on air travel will normalize by the first quarter of 2022, the report said.
PG1 is involved in private air charter services, and its hangar in Pasay City houses two helicopters and one airplane.
Five-seater Bell 429 can fly from Manila up to Laoag up north or Cebu down south, while medium-sized helicopter AgustaWestland AW139 can carry 8 passengers to anywhere in Luzon and the Visayas.
PG1’s plane King Air 350 can transport 8 passengers to all domestic destinations, and even as far as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.
