Airline pilots lace up sneakers for hoop tourney

Forget aerial dogfights.

Airline pilots, including those from the country’s biggest carriers, will engage in a hoop battle in the First Asian Pilots Invitational Basketball Tournament slated Jan. 14 at Treston International College in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Five teams will vie for the crown in the tournament hosted by the Airlines Pilots Association-Singapore (ALPA-S).

PBA legend and four-time MVP Ramon Fernandez will serve as the tournament director with Ed Cordero serving as commissioner.

Competing in the three-day competition are the ALPA-S, Cebu Pac, Thai-PA, Philippine Airlines and Air Asia.

The tournament has a single round-robin format in the elimination phase. The top two teams after the eliminations will fight for the championship.

“It is our intention that we could continue this tournament through the years for future generations of pilots,” said Capt. Julio “Yeng” P. Rosales II of Singapore Airlines (SIA).