MANILA - Direct flights from Manila to Brussels in Belgium may start soon to boost travel ties between the two countries, Malacañang said Wednesday.

This comes following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr's meeting with Belgium airport officials at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations- European Union (ASEAN-EU) commemorative summit, where the latter "showed great interest in gaining a foothold in the Philippines."

The goal is for Europeans traveling to Asia to use the Philippines as an entry point to Southeast Asia, while Filipinos could fly to Belgium as a gateway to Western Europe.

"We are working on the opportunity to have a direct flight between Manila and Brussels… And we think that basically there is a win-win for both countries to be connected directly," said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company.

Feist also described the possibility as a "win-win" for the two countries.

The Palace said Philippine Airlines president and COO Stanly Ng welcomed the development, with officials of the company "really interested" about this.

"That's really the vision that we are excited to see. We want to improve the economic activities in the Philippines and also here," Ng said.

Marcos, meanwhile, sees the development as a chance to boost tourism both here and Europe.

"That's something that we would like to take advantage of and exploit in terms of making the areas more accessible… I think there's a great deal of opportunity. It will be advantageous for the both of us," Marcos said.

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