The Philippines is an archipelago and one of the challenges or thrills that travelers could face is how to get to places that seem to be too isolated.
The more than 7,000 islands pose a mighty challenge to companies who made it their business to transport people to and from these places.
Yes, people can now easily go to Boracay, Batanes, or Palawan, but not so long ago, these places too were difficult to reach.
And with an archipelago like the Philippines, it will not be too long until the next Boracay, Palawan or Batanes, emerges. There are simply just too many beautiful islands and places that the archipelago has, which is always a good thing, and that these places are just waiting to be ‘discovered.’
It is fascinating to note that SEAIR actually had to face and overcome these challenges before the airline company eventually became the airliner of choice for many travelers when it comes to these destinations.
The story goes that fifteen years ago in El Nido, Palawan, German pilot Iren Dornier dreamed he would make travel to all the beautiful islands of the Philippines easy and accessible.
But such a wish actually first took shape in a country several thousands of miles away, across the Pacific Ocean, during a cross-country flight to Mexico.
“We discovered a breathtaking area near Manzanillo in western Mexico,” said Nikos Gitsis, SEAIR director and co-founder, and Dornier’s longtime friend and business partner. “It was in a rural area and was very difficult to get to. We thought a small air service was necessary.”
A fateful holiday trip to Palawan in December 1994 convinced Dornier that the Philippines is the perfect home for their future airline.
“I came to this country by accident. I initially planned to go to Phuket, Thailand but all the flights were booked. I ended up in El Nido instead,” Dornier said.
In 1995, Iren Dornier, Nikos Gitsis and Tomas Lopez, then president of Club Noah, founded SEAIR with an investment of a few million and two nine-seater airplanes. They set up their headquarters in the Clark Special Economic Zone, the first domestic airline to do so.
SEAIR started flying from Manila to Caticlan and Manila to Rodriguez and Busuanga, Palawan.
In 1996, SEAIR brought its first LET410 aircraft, a 19-seater plane that performs Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL). The LET was ideal for the small runways of Palawan and Caticlan.
In 1998, the airline expanded its operations and began pioneering missionary routes. It opened regional hubs in Cebu and Zamboanga to offer routes in far-flung areas such as Camiguin, Siargao, Cotabato, Jolo and Tawi-tawi, as well as interconnecting flights in Palawan: Manila-Busuanga-El Nido-Puerto Princesa and vice versa.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
The more than 7,000 islands pose a mighty challenge to companies who made it their business to transport people to and from these places.
Yes, people can now easily go to Boracay, Batanes, or Palawan, but not so long ago, these places too were difficult to reach.
And with an archipelago like the Philippines, it will not be too long until the next Boracay, Palawan or Batanes, emerges. There are simply just too many beautiful islands and places that the archipelago has, which is always a good thing, and that these places are just waiting to be ‘discovered.’
It is fascinating to note that SEAIR actually had to face and overcome these challenges before the airline company eventually became the airliner of choice for many travelers when it comes to these destinations.
The story goes that fifteen years ago in El Nido, Palawan, German pilot Iren Dornier dreamed he would make travel to all the beautiful islands of the Philippines easy and accessible.
But such a wish actually first took shape in a country several thousands of miles away, across the Pacific Ocean, during a cross-country flight to Mexico.
“We discovered a breathtaking area near Manzanillo in western Mexico,” said Nikos Gitsis, SEAIR director and co-founder, and Dornier’s longtime friend and business partner. “It was in a rural area and was very difficult to get to. We thought a small air service was necessary.”
A fateful holiday trip to Palawan in December 1994 convinced Dornier that the Philippines is the perfect home for their future airline.
“I came to this country by accident. I initially planned to go to Phuket, Thailand but all the flights were booked. I ended up in El Nido instead,” Dornier said.
In 1995, Iren Dornier, Nikos Gitsis and Tomas Lopez, then president of Club Noah, founded SEAIR with an investment of a few million and two nine-seater airplanes. They set up their headquarters in the Clark Special Economic Zone, the first domestic airline to do so.
SEAIR started flying from Manila to Caticlan and Manila to Rodriguez and Busuanga, Palawan.
In 1996, SEAIR brought its first LET410 aircraft, a 19-seater plane that performs Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL). The LET was ideal for the small runways of Palawan and Caticlan.
In 1998, the airline expanded its operations and began pioneering missionary routes. It opened regional hubs in Cebu and Zamboanga to offer routes in far-flung areas such as Camiguin, Siargao, Cotabato, Jolo and Tawi-tawi, as well as interconnecting flights in Palawan: Manila-Busuanga-El Nido-Puerto Princesa and vice versa.
And the rest, as they say, is history.