Manila is now being considered as a new gateway for travelers from Belgium and other parts of Western Europe who are headed for Southeast Asia.
Last Tuesday. Malacañang announced President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. met with the Brussels airport officials to discuss the possible Manila-Brussels direct flights.
Arnaud Feist, chief executive officer of Brussels Airport Company, made the proposal, who sees it as a “win-win” scheme for both Belgium and the Philippines.
Marcos said he is interested in the said arrangement since it can help boost local tourism by making it more convenient for Europeans to visit the country.
“When we talk about Brussels in our mind, it’s really Western Europe because, very clearly, Brussels is very much at the center of that. And so that is something of great interest,” Marcos said.
“The pent-up demand over the pandemic is now beginning to show itself, and the demand for air travel has actually increased a great deal more quickly than I had expected,” he added.
He noted the geographic location of the country makes it easier for Europeans to travel to other parts of Southeast Asia.
Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines said it is also interested in the said prospect since it will help them bring in more Filipinos to Europe.
“We want to improve the economic activities in the Philippines and also here,” Stanley K. Ng, PAL president and chief operating officer, said during the meeting.
Also present in the meeting are officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), as well as House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez and Senator Mark A. Villar.
The meeting happened during the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations- European Union (ASEAN-EU) commemorative summit in Brussels.