DAVAO CITY—Philippine Airlines would add another Airbus flight to this city beginning Thursday to decongest the volume of traffic in this route that has built up since the Holy Week holidays.

Domingo Duerme, PAL vice president for sales and marketing in Mindanao, said the new route came only a few months after a temporary flight schedule last year to decongest traffic approaching Christmas was made into a regular flight.

Duerme said the new flight would depart at 9:35 p.m. for Manila and would be served by the 150-seater Airbus 320.

The temporary run would last until June, but Duerme said it would be up to the management of PAL to decide if it would again make it into a regular flight.

The new flight would make it six flights already in the Manila-Davao route for PAL.

Also on May 19, the PAL Express, a division of PAL, would start its three flights on the Cebu-Davao route using its newly acquired Q400, manufactured by the Bombardier Aerospace of Canada. The aircraft could accommodate 76 passengers.

Duerme said two flights—the 6:20 a.m. and 6:40 p.m.—would depart here for Cebu. A third flight would serve the same route on an 11:50 a.m. departure schedule by May 26. He said the Cebu-Davao flights would replace the two flights served by the Air Philippines, a sister company of PAL.

Duerme also announced that PAL would open the Davao-Zamboanga route, a daily 50-minute travel and would use a Q400 aircraft. He said the flight would begin on June 1 this year.

The PAL has already finalized the schedule of the three destinations in Mindanao, including Davao City, that would be served by its Cebu hub, and to be served by PAL Express.

Aside from Davao City, the PAL Express would begin on May 19 its daily flight to Butuan City, departing at 12:20 p.m. from Butuan City. This would be served by the 50-seater Q300.

Also on the same day, a Q400 would start its regular daily flight to General Santos City, departing at 12:05 p.m. from General Santos City.

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DAVAO CITY—Philippine Airlines would add another Airbus flight to this city beginning Thursday to decongest the volume of traffic in this route that has built up since the Holy Week holidays.