Cebu Pacific reviews network plans

MANILA, Philippines–Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s biggest budget carrier, is reviewing its network plans out of Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is set to increase capacity following the successful auction of a public private partnership (PPP) deal.

The Gokongwei-led carrier said in a statement on Wednesday that it supported the Cebu airport’s expansion, which would double the existing capacity to eight million passengers a year. The passenger terminal building’s current capacity accommodates 4.5 million passengers a year.

The tandem of Filipino builder Megawide Construction Corp. and India’s GMR Infrastructure won last April the P17.5-billion contract to expand and operate Mactan Cebu International Airport, the country’s second-busiest air gateway.

“Cebu is a very important hub for us. [Cebu Pacific] has been operating flights at the Mactan airport since 1996. We are reviewing our network plans out of Cebu and we look forward to offering [Cebu Pacific’s] low fares to even more travelers,” said Jorenz Tañada, Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs.

The airline operates 27 routes from Cebu to other domestic and international destinations, the statement showed.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport expansion project PPP aims to modernize the Philippines’ second-largest aviation hub.

Last year, Cebu Pacific estimated that about 3.33 million passengers flew using its Cebu hub. In the second quarter of 2014, Cebu Pacific posted a 14.75 percent year-on-year growth in passengers from the hub.–Miguel R. Camus