Sultan Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah flew his own Boeing 747 to Cebu, Philippines, to attend the 48th ASEAN Summit on May 7, 2026.
The aircraft landed on Wednesday night at Mactan-Benito N. Ebuen Air Base. The licensed pilot sultan was accompanied by his son, Prince Abdul Mateen.
He was welcomed by local officials including Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Governor Pamela Baricuatro, and Mayor Cynthia King-Chan. The sultan frequently pilots his private plane for such visits, including to the Philippines in 2017.
The summit runs May 7-8 with focus on energy security, food security, and citizen safety. Other ASEAN leaders arrived on Thursday, while Myanmar was represented by the permanent secretary of its foreign ministry.