Seaplane operator doubling capacity
Air Juan, an airline startup focused on inter-island travel, is planning to double its capacity in five years on expectations that demand for its niche and relatively more exclusive services will rise.
Air Juan, which was established in 2012, is the sole commercial seaplane operator in the Philippines.
It has a fleet of 11 aircraft, about half of which are nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan planes. Four are configured as seaplanes and are operating out of its terminal in the CCP Complex in Manila Bay. It also operates Bell 407GX and 429 helicopters.
During an event marking its fifth anniversary yesterday, Air Juan president John Gutierrez said the company planned to expand its fleet, add routes, and serve the entire Philippines in the next five years.
“In an age of budget airlines, we are different,” Gutierrez said, citing the company’s focus on “time sensitive” clientele, or those willing to pay more to avoid the inconvenience of using a large airport.
“You cannot put a price on an individual’s time,” he added.
Air Juan has about 16 scheduled routes in Luzon and Visayas, including Subic, Puerto Galera, Coron, Boracay, Iloilo, San Vicente (Palawan), Cebu and its surrounding islands.
Volume has been growing steadily, said Air Juan’s marketing head Paolo Misa. He said they serve an average of 1,500 passengers per month and the plan was to at least double this figure in the next few years.
Among its selling points to passengers is its ability to cut transit time.
“With our seaplane service, we cut our travel time against larger airlines by at least half,” Gutierrez said.
He said a typical trip from Manila to Boracay island took four hours—most of which is spent inside the airport. In the case of Air Juan, passengers can arrive at the terminal 20 minutes before their flight, which would then fly them straight to Boracay Island’s Station 1.
Gutierrez said the airline’s land-based Cessna planes could also operate on non-paved runways, opening up access to areas without adequate airside facilities.
