AirAsia PH completed 9,921 flights in the second quarter, 67%more compared to the same period last year. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA -After ramping up its routes, AirAsia Philippines flew more passengers during the second quarter as travelers visited various tourist destinations for their summer getaway.
In a statement on Friday, the budget carrier reported it serviced 1.63 million passengers in April to June, up 64 percent from nearly 1 million in the same period a year ago.
This was supported by more flights operated during the period, growing by 67 percent to 9,921 from 5,949 in the previous year.
In total, the AirAsia Group—which also has presence in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia—flew 14.24 million passengers, nearly double the 7.24 million it registered in the second quarter of 2022. Operated flights grew by 85 percent to 88,900.
Most of the passengers, or a total 6.45 million, were served by Malaysia, where the carrier is headquartered.
“Throughout the [second quarter], the domestic performance was incredibly strong and international market traffic remained buoyant with a favorable load factor. In response to the robust international market demand, the group has reallocated more capacity to international routes to meet the strong resurgence from the international market,” the carrier said.
Earlier this month, AirAsia Philippines announced it had achieved a load factor of 94 percent for the first 15 days of July, surpassing the prepandemic figure of 88 percent.
The carrier attributed this to heavier foot traffic at the airports following the easing of border restrictions.
“AirAsia Philippines is in close collaboration with industry and government partners in providing efficient, affordable and seamless travel among guests with passenger traffic expected to peak again in the coming months,” airline spokesperson Steve Dailisan had said.
The carrier recently launched thrice weekly flights to Tokyo, a popular travel destination among Filipinos, via Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
It also lifted the mask mandate for local flights after the government lifted the COVID-19 state of public health emergency in the country. INQ
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