Cebu Pacific gets this year’s sixth additional aircraft

MANILA, Philippines — Cebu Pacific continues to ramp up its fleet with the delivery of a sixth aircraft this year to service inter-island travels across the archipelago.

On Tuesday, the Gokongwei-led airline announced the receipt of an ATR 72-600, a turboprop aircraft, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“With more than 7,100 islands in the Philippines, our commitment to serve passengers traveling between inter-island destinations requires us to invest in turboprop aircraft,” company CEO Micheal Szucs said in a statement.

The airline deploys its turboprop fleet in 25 local destinations, some of which are only accessible using turboprop and smaller aircraft. These include Camiguin, Calbayog, Siargao, Masbate, Surigao, Busuanga and Naga.

The ATR 72-600, which carries up to 78 passengers, can land on short, narrow and unpaved runways.

READ: Cebu Pacific income soared in Q1 to P2.24B

With the latest delivery, Cebu Pacific now has 15 turboprops. Another one is expected to be added to the fleet by October.

The low-cost carrier also operates eight Airbus 330s, 39 Airbus 320s, and 21 Airbus 321s.

Re-fleeting

Before this, Cebu Pacific received an A320neo (new engine option) last month. A Neo aircraft is deemed fuel-efficient as it burns 15 percent less fuel per flight.

Cebu Pacific has been acquiring more jets to augment its fleet as some of its aircraft have been parked for a longer period due to delayed maintenance brought about by the global supply chain crunch.

READ: Cebu Pacific gets fifth jet this year

The airline is ready to spend at least P60 billion this year to add 18 aircraft to its fleet.

It is also in the process of reviewing proposals from jet manufacturers Airbus and Boeing for its $12-billion aircraft order, aiming to pick one supplier by the first half.

Recently, the airline announced it would start offering Cebu-Bangkok and Cebu-Masbate routes by October. It is also set to launch Manila-Kaohsiung flights by August.

Cebu Pacific saw its first-quarter net earnings more than double to P2.24 billion on the back of busier operations. Passenger revenues, in particular, improved by 25 percent to P18 billion as volume grew by 14 percent to 5.5 million passengers.

The airline services over 35 domestic and 24 international destinations.