Tourism and airport officials are pushing for more chartered flights to and from Cebu from key points in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Regional Director Aurora Patria Roa of the Department of Tourism-Central Visayas (DOT-7) said it would be preferable to establish chartered flights first before signing any bilateral air agreements to ensure a steady inflow of passengers.

"To me, it's not really about air agreements but reality on the ground. Is there a load factor? Later, both countries will see the need to come up with bilateral (air) agreements," Roa said.

Roa cited the Taipei-Cebu chartered flights which remains vibrant for 15 years despite the absence of a formal agreement.

Flights from Cebu to different points in China such as Shanghai and Guangzhou are also chartered.

Roa said negotiations for flights to and from New Delhi in India and Vladivostok in Russia are also envisioned to start as chartered flights.

General Manager Danilo Augusto Francia of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) said they are eyeing more flights to fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) member countries.

Francia said Incheon and Busan in South Korea are top destinations in terms of passenger volume, with 22 and 19 flights respectively every week.

He said there are direct flights from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia twice every week.

Francia said there is also a possibility of opening a direct flight between Iran and Cebu.

"A manager from Iran talked to us and they are interested to have a Cebu-Iran direct flight," Francia said.

The entry of more airplanes from Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines also means new routes opening up despite fuel price increases.

"I have interviewed heads of different airline companies and as much as possible they are not increasing airfare cost," he said.

Francia said these airlines have cut down on costs by retiring old planes that are not fuel efficient and not serving food during flights.