So far there have been no direct flights from Cebu to Europe. That is now changing, because Turkish Airlines connects Cebu with Istanbul with a stopover in Manila. Connections to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, for example, are available from there.

The terms "direct flight" and "non-stop flight" are often confused, although there is a significant difference. A non-stop flight is a connection from A to B without a stopover. Direct flights also fly from A to B, but can have any number of stopovers, provided the flight number remains the same.

The new Turkish Airlines connection from/to Cebu is a so-called direct flight, since a stop is made in Manila. Strictly speaking, it is an extension of the connection that was made six years ago. The carrier serves this route with Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

The Istanbul-Manila-Cebu connection is offered as TK 264 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays. Return flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays as TK265. The planes leave the Turkish airport at 21:15 p.m. local time and arrive in Manila at around 13:30 p.m. the next day. The onward flight to Cebu departs at 15:05 p.m. and arrives at 16:25 p.m.

The return flight leaves Cebu at 2:25 a.m. local time and reaches Manila at around 3:45 a.m. The onward flight to Istanbul departs at 5:25 a.m. and arrives in the Turkish city at 13:25 p.m has not (yet) been granted cabotage rights (“eighth freedom”).