LOCAL BUDGET carrier Zest Airways Inc. will start flights the Manila-San Fernando, La Union route today, a development that is expected to further spur investments in the area’s freeport zone.Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Narciso Abaya said the entry of Zest Air into the province would help enhance the attractiveness of Poro Point Freeport Zone as an investment site.

The freeport is being managed by Poro Point Management Corp. PPMC, a BCDA subsidiary. The San Fernando airport is located within the freeport.
With Zest Air, Poro Point can again be accessed not only by land and sea but also by air via the San Fernando airport, making the freeport more attractive to investors and tourists alike, PPMC president and chief executive Felix Racadio said in a statement. This is good news for our many foreign guests who are here to see and enjoy new places in the country.This development, however, would just serve as a catalyst for the development of Poro Point. Local government units in the area would now have to more closely coordinate with each other to mount programs to attract both investors and tourists, PPMC executive vice president and chief operating officer Anthony Manguiat said.More investors and more tourists would mean more jobs for La Union, he added.Prior to Zest Air’s operation of the Manila-San Fernando route, another budget carrier, Southeast Asian Airlines, plied the route until July 1.