ALAMINOS CITY—Tourism in this world-famous Hundred Islands takes a new boost, twist and excitement once the planned amphibious planes take off next month to tour around tourists here.

Mayor Hernani Braganza said AirFlite Airways, a Filipino-owned company, has coordinated with him for the initial deployment of two amphibious aircrafts which are both 12- seater.

Rates are however still to be finalized soon.

Braganza said AeroFlite will conduct test flights as early as September and hopefully they will be full operational within that month as well.

“This will bring the Hundred Islands closer to destinations from all around regions 1, 3 and CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region),” he said.

He said they are also designing a concept similar to air safari. “You take the plane, you land here, visit the islands, even the remotest islands in the Philippines can be reached by this type of plane,” Braganza said.

The plane can land either by coastal or by land, he added.

“This will be a big boost to the province of Pangasinan in terms of bringing in people and investments,” he added.

“I’m very sure this will be a very unique experience,” Braganza said.

Through an agency and with coordination with the local government,, the US-made still engine turbo prop, can be chartered to bring passengers from Alaminos City to other destinations in Luzon and Visayas, said Capt. Jerome John Valera, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company.

This means, passengers will enjoy the comfort and convenience of touring around the Hundred Islands by plane and also go to Subic or Clark or Laoag or even Boracay and Baguio City, Valera said.

Valera said,” We feel that it’s what the Philippines needs to link all the islands and the resorts”.

AeroFlite started in 1998 as a flight school based in Manila and only recently did it come up with this project to start a chartered service using this aircraft because as Valera said they came up with a list of tourist destinations and decided to start the service here because it is very close to Manila.

He said they also have plans of servicing Boracay but they still have to make arrangements with the local government unit there.

He admitted that their target market is the people from upper class who will now be enjoying “the comfort of going to destinations from shore to shore without transfers anymore”. –