Air Asia makes Kalibo International Airport its secondary hub

Air Asia has expressed its commitment to make the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) its secondary hub for international flights.

In a letter dated March 25, 2014 addressed to Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores, Marianne Hontiveros, president and chief executive officer of the Air Asia said the company plans to have international flights to China, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia.

"Air Asia currently operates seven daily flights from Kalibo to Manila. The airline also operates flights to Incheon, Pusan, Shanghai and Beijing. Domestic flights will be increased 13 times a day," Hontiveros said.

The company has also plans to increase its international flights in Kalibo to cities in China by June 25 of this year. Among its planned routes are to Guangzhou, Wenzhou, Chengdu, Changsa, Ningbo, Xiamen and Hangzhou.

"Additional flights to Incheon, Pusan and Shanghai will also be operated in July," she said.

With these increases, the airline is expecting to operate 320 weekly flights in and out of Kalibo by July 2014.

But Hontiveros said these plans could not be materialized if the KIA could not meet the standards. The Air Asia needs to base a minimum of two aircraft in KIA by the last week of June.

The frequent delay of flights from Manila to KIA due to air traffic congestion is said to have seriously impacted on time performance of the airline. The lack of adequate parking bays is also contributing to the problem.

Because of this, Hontiveros is seeking an assurance from the Aklan provincial government that the KIA is capable to handle their requirements.