NEWSFLASH

LAOAG AIRLINE RESUMES FLIGHTS TO BATANES

Basco, Batanes, June 6, 2000 - The primary airline company servicing remote Batanes Island-province has resumed operations.

Laoag International Airlines (LIA), a Laoag City-based airline, temporarily suspended its operations last January.

As a result, hundreds of passengers bound for this province from Manila or Laoag and those from here were forced to patronize either of two fledgling airlines which took over the operations.

LIA, which uses a Fokker 27 aircraft, that can accommodate 40 passengers, flies here on Tuesdays and Fridays from Manila.

On Sundays, it originates from Laoag City, although on the return trip, it proceeds to Manila.

While LIA's plane was grounded to satisfy some administrative and technical requirements imposed by the Air Transportation Office, Chemtrad Aviation Corp. and Corporate Air took advantage of the situation.

Lacking any other option, air passengers were forced to take the more expensive 10-seater Chemtrad Islander on the 19-seater Dornier jet aircraft of Corporate Air.