Cebu Pacific will operate direct daily flights between Manila and Dubai, beginning October 7, 2013. Cebu Pacific will be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai. Daily flights from Manila to Dubai are scheduled to depart at 4:40PM (Manila time), while flights from Dubai airport to Manila depart at 11:10PM (Dubai time). It will be the budget airline’s first long haul destination.

“Cebu Pacific is proud to be the only Filipino carrier to fly direct to Dubai. We are glad to be of service to over 700,000 Global Filipinos who are in UAE. Now, Filipinos in Dubai can enjoy fares that are up to 40% lower than current offerings and fly direct to Manila, a mere 9 hours away from their loved ones, via a CEB flight,” said Alex Reyes Cebu Pacific General Manager, Long Haul Division.

“With CEB’s direct service to Dubai, Filipinos overseas can look forward to going home more often. Their relatives and friends can also visit them in Dubai more often,” added Reyes.

Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shows that UAE ranks second to Saudi Arabia in terms of number of land-based new hires and rehires. In 2010, there were 201,214 land-based workers deployed to UAE.

“Dubai is the largest long-haul market to and from the Philippines. IATA PaxIS data indicate more than 70% of passengers in this route take multiple stops, and connecting flights because no home carrier offers a non-stop service,” said Reyes.

CEB’s Manila-Dubai flights will be operated on the Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a configuration of more than 400 all-economy class seats. Guests can also enjoy WiFi connectivity inflight.