Cebu Pacific to increase flights for popular Da Nang route

Xander Lao —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is looking at increasing flight frequencies to Da Nang, Vietnam, a route that has been well-received by passengers since its launch last year.

Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of the Gokongwei-led airline, told reporters last week they were planning on adding two more weekly flights from the current thrice weekly offering.

“The demand for Da Nang seems to be quite strong. We’re pleasantly surprised,” he said. Cebu Pacific chief marketing and customer experience officer Candice Iyog said they were the only local airline currently offering direct flights to Da Nang, giving it an edge over other carriers.

Iyog said they have observed that passengers had to transit via Hanoi or Malaysia to go to Da Nang, making their travel even longer.

“We do have it in our DNA and history to develop new routes. This is now the new route and the only connection to Da Nang from the Philippines,” she added.

Pushing back plans

Apart from Da Nang, Cebu Pacific has direct flights to Vietnam via Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

As the Gokongwei-led airline plans to ramp up the Da Nang route, Lao said they were pushing back plans to restart Manila-Beijing flights.

The low-cost carrier said they were aiming to reopen the route by October instead of the first half of this year.

“China has been so soft. Until we see a rebound in terms of our forward-bookings, I think we have to take a very deliberate approach on China,” Lao said.

Cebu Pacific has resumed flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen.

Top sources

China had been one of the top sources of international tourist arrivals in the Philippines until the pandemic hit.

Cebu Pacific is expecting the delivery of 14 aircraft as it targets to have a 92-unit fleet by the end of the year. The budget carrier has allocated P50 billion in capital expenditures for mostly aircraft-related exercises this year. INQ