Seair International (Sear-I) is set to embark on its maiden flight on December 7 bound for Basco, Batanes from Manila, after the Civil Aviations Authority of the Philippines has granted it an airline operating certificate (AOC).
Seair-I presently plans to focus on leisure destinations beginning with Batanes, and eventually adding flights to El Nido and Camiguin. These destinations were previously serviced by Seair Inc., some of whose shareholders also have a stake in Seair-I. But after Singapore’s Tiger Airways purchased a 40 percent stake in Seair Inc., it is no longer allowed to utilize turboprops.
The carrier also intends to provide VIP charter services for both domestic and international destinations sometime early next year.
Seair-I is partly owned by Seair Inc.’s founders, Nikos Gitsis and Iren Dornier, along with Filipino investors Geraldine Olivares, Tomas B. Lopez Jr., and Olma Inocentes.
Seair-I’s initial flight routes include twice weekly flights to Basco, Batanes on Mondays and Fridays using a 32-seater Dornier 328 turboprop, with a plan to increase it to three times a week, Interaksyon.com reported.
