Cebu Pacific beefs up long-haul fleet

MANILA, Philippines—Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s largest budget airline, acquired its second long-range Airbus A330 last week. It plans to use the aircraft for select flights to Cebu and Hong Kong ahead of the start of its Manila-Dubai service, the airline said in a statement Friday.

Cebu Pacific said the 436-seat plane will start ferrying passengers on Sept. 16. Passengers of the Manila to Hong Kong flights who have been booked on smaller planes will be upgraded to the larger A330, the statement added.

The airline, which mainly operators of mid-range Airbus planes, is gradually beefing up its long-haul fleet as it expands to farther locations.

The airline’s Manila to Dubai flight starts on Oct 7.

“Cebu Pacific’s expansion means more flight options and low fares available to our guests. It is always rewarding for us when these additional flights and seats contribute to the tourism and trade in the destinations we fly to,” Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific is also mounting more flights from Manila to Dumaguete and to Roxas City, using a 156-seater Airbus A319 aircraft, the airline said.

On Sept. 24, Cebu Pacific will add an additional weekly flight between Iloilo and Hong Kong. The airline pioneered international flights out of Iloilo late last year, with direct services to both Hong Kong and Singapore, the statement showed.

In October, Cebu Pacific will also add three weekly flights between Cebu and Zamboanga. It will upgrade its four weekly flights from Manila to Virac from a 72-seater ATR to an Airbus A319.—Miguel R. Camus