PAL hopes to start the ferry service, operated by Mabuhay Maritime Express Transport Inc. (MME), this week.
A subsidiary of Philippine Airlines is launching a ferry service between Kalibo and Boracay using new 42-metre catamarans.
PAL hopes to start the ferry service, operated by Mabuhay Maritime Express Transport Inc. (MME), this week.
MME earlier secured approval from state agency Board of Investments as a domestic shipping operator of high-speed passenger ships to service the Kailbo-Boracay-Aklan route.
PAL has invested US$11 million in the venture.
MME’s new ferry service is in time for the reopening of Boracay Island to tourists and will complement PAL’s airline operations.
The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said about one million of the 6.6 million overseas visitors to the Philippines in 2017 visited Boracay.
The island is a popular destination for Chinese and South Korean visitors, who are the largest markets for the Philippine tourism industry.
PAL’s parent firm, PAL Holdings Inc., posted total revenues of US$1.4 billion in the first half of the year, up 13%.