Exhausting and bumpy land trips may soon be minimized with the introduction of a new airline company that promises utmost passenger comfort, and accessibility to secondary destinations and tourism access points via water and air travel.
As the premier seaplane operator in the country, Air Juan increases provision of fast and hassle-free transport services for inter-island travel, where larger aircraft companies have no capacity of landing.
According to Air Juan Marketing Head Paolo Misa, Cebu became the airline’s third hub with the seaplane servicing the Mactan airport route to the northern municipality of Daan Bantayan – ferrying a maximum number of nine passengers to and from the luxurious Kandaya Resort. Travel time is a mere 30 minutes, a far cry from the usual four-hour bus ride.
“The seaplane leaves the Mactan airport hangar every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. From Kandaya, the plane leaves the resort at 12 noon for Mactan airport. We fly even if only one passenger is onboard,” Misa declared at a press conference with other industry stakeholders.
Air Juan uses a modern Cessna Grand Caravan amphibian model for its seaplanes and the landplane model for its standard airborne flights.
Air Juan President John Gutierrez said that they do not intend to compete with the bigger airlines, and instead seek to complement the secondary destinations by connecting islands and resorts to travelers.
He also expressed gratitude to the Mactan airport management for facilitating their entry into Cebu, and for organizing a water cannon reception for their inaugural Maasin-Cebu flight.
Tourism impetus
Ravi Savaru of GMR-Cebu Airport Corporation (CAC), stated that Air Juan serves as an impetus to tourism as the airline cuts travel time, eases the plight of domestic travelers, and contributes to the local economies of the destinations.
“Air Juan is a big contribution to the aviation industry. People now will have to propensity to travel also due to the eventual upgrading of airports and ease of travel,” he added.
Air Juan head pilot Mark Griffin emphasized that safety and maintenance are their utmost concerns, as evidenced by the company’s zero accident ratio.
Landplane services from Cebu include flights to Bantayan, Tagbilaran, Biliran, Maasin, Siquijor, and Sipalay. Upcoming Cebu seaplane destinations cover Lakawon Resort, Concepcion, Sicogon, Gigantes, Kalanggaman, Malapascua, Camotes, Panglao, and Anda.
From Manila, seaplane destinations include thrice weekly trips to and within Busuanga, Subic, Marinduque, Boracay, and Puerto Galera.
For the Palawan hub, there are also several landplane flights within Palawan, as well as other places such as Iloilo, San Vicente, Caticlan, Sipalay, Cuyo, and Busuanga.
Passengers may also choose from four price categories: Special, Earlybird, Savers, and Fullfare. For more information, visit www.airjuan.com.
 
By RICHARD RAMOS