In time for the upcoming Snow Festival in February.
On Thursday, January 16, 2025, low-cost carrier (LCC) Cebu Pacific (CEB) formally launched its new route connecting the Philippines’ capital Manila and the northern Japanese city of Sapporo.
CEB operates the route in a tri-weeky schedule between Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) and New Chitose International Airport (CTS) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
The flight leaves Manila at 11:15 am, and arrives in Sapporo at 5:25 pm (local time). Meanwhile, the return service flies out of the Japanese town at 6:25 pm (local time), and lands in the Philippine capital at 11:20 pm.
This is the fifth Japanese destination where Cebu Pacific currently has direct flights to, with the first four being Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka.
The opening of the new route also coincides with the popular Snow Festival in Sapporo, which takes place every February.
Additoonally, CEB’s Manila-Sapporo flights mark the return of a direct connection between the two cities, as legacy carrier Philippine Airlines previously served the area prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cebu Pacific also continues to grow its network, as it also continually adds more to its current 37 domestic and 26 international destinations in Asia and Australia that it is already serving.
The company also recently reported that it was able to trump its pre-pandemic figures in 2024, after carrying 24.5 million passengers for the entire year alone.