MANILA - Tourists can now hop from one top Philippine destination to another as Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR) is set to reopen its Puerto Princesa-Caticlan routes next month.

In a statement, SEAIR said routes from Puerto Princesa to Caticlan (and vice versa) will be relaunched on October 16, with flights scheduled every Tuesday and Friday.

Located in Palawan, Puerto Princesa is said to have one of the world's longest navigable underground rivers. Caticlan, on the other hand, is the nearest entry to the famous Boracay island, home to the world's best beaches.

SEAIR said it will also be restoring its El Nido-Manila routes in November, with flights scheduled every Wednesday and Sunday. Also found in Palawan, El Nido is a top destination for its marble cliffs and white sand beaches.

On top of these, SEAIR said it will be increasing flights to Caticlan and Basco, Batanes next month. Flights to Caticlan will be raised to up to 32 flights a day from 27 daily flights starting October 15, while flights to Basco will be increased to daily from 4 times weekly starting October 12.

At present, SEAIR is the only aircraft flying directly to Caticlan and Basco. PAL Express and Cebu Pacific have diverted their Caticlan-bound flights to Kalibo due to changes in airport operating conditions.

"Our aircraft, the Dornier 328 and LET L-410, are both capable of Short Take-Off and Landing. They are aerodynamically designed in a way that is capable of landing and taking off in about 750 meters with full pay load. These aircraft are the most appropriate for small runways where bigger commercial airplanes cannot land," SEAIR President Avelino Zapanta said.