Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced the resumption of nonstop flights between Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Osaka Kansai International Airport starting December 22, 2024, following a series of postponements.
The thrice-weekly service marks PAL’s return to the Cebu-Osaka route, enhancing connectivity between the central Philippines and western Japan.
The airline plans to increase frequency to four times weekly from February 26, 2025.
“We are delighted to make our comeback in the Cebu-Osaka market, just in time for the Christmas holiday season,” said PAL President & COO Captain Stanley K. Ng.
“Our direct flights from Mactan to Kansai will help us promote the tourism industry and local businesses in Cebu and the Visayas region, and deepen both bilateral relations and cultural ties with our Japanese counterparts.”
The new route aims to cater to tourists and business travelers from western Japan, providing direct access to Cebu and the central Philippines.
Japan is the Philippines’ fourth-largest source of tourist visitors and home to over 300,000 overseas Filipinos.
PAL will operate the route using a 199-seat Airbus A321ceo aircraft. The initial schedule includes:
- PR 410: Cebu to Osaka, departing 11:45 AM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays
- PR 409: Osaka to Cebu, departing 6:00 PM on the same days
The Cebu-Osaka service complements PAL’s existing twice-daily flights between Manila and Osaka Kansai, as well as daily flights between Cebu and Tokyo Narita.
PAL currently offers the largest network of flights connecting the Philippines and Japan, with services to Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Tokyo Haneda, and Tokyo Narita.
The flag carrier initially planned to launch the Cebu-Osaka route on July 1, 2024. However, the launch date was pushed back multiple times—first to July 21, then to October 27, before settling on the current late-December schedule.
The airline did not provide specific reasons for these delays.
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