AS THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport gears up for the opening of Terminal 2, AirAsia has plans to be in on the action.
Speaking at the Innovation Summit on Tuesday, Aireen Omar, deputy chief executive officer (digital, transformation, corporate services), said the Malaysian airline is aiming for a bigger share of the Southeast Asian market.
Strengthening its presence in this region, she said, could result in an increase in flight frequencies and expansion of connections in growing markets, including the Philippines.
“Asean is the best place to grow our business. This remains to be our priority market,” said Omar. “With our huge network in Asean, it would now be easy for us to connect all destinations like Cebu. It’s just a matter of linking all these points.”
Anthony Fernandes, AirAsia’s group executive officer, in his video message, said Cebu is an important hub and that he is thrilled with the accelerated progress happening in the country.
Fernandes said the group is investing more in the country by adding more routes and buying more planes.
Connections
“We are thrilled of the progress. In fact, we will be launching in July 7 the maiden flight of Cebu-Shanghai (China) direct route to complete our three new connections between Cebu and China this year,” he said.
Omar said Cebu is an ideal hub in the region, citing its strategic location. She, however, said the expansion of new routes for Cebu would depend on the availability of the airplanes.
AirAsia currently connects Cebu to Manila, Puerto Princesa, Davao, Clark and Caticlan. Overseas, Cebu is connected to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taipei, Incheon, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
The low-cost carrier is planning to increase its fleet to 22 jets this year from the current 18 to accommodate its expanded operations.
By 2032, Philippines AirAsia hopes to secure a total of 70 planes to strengthen connectivity between other destinations in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
Innovations
Besides building more connections, AirAsia is also investing in digital innovation.
Omar disclosed that in February, AirAsia unveiled its Fast Airport Clearance Experience System (Faces), Malaysia’s first airport facial recognition system with self- boarding gate, at Senai International Airport, Johor Bahru.
This made AirAsia the first airline in Asia to have a seamless travel experience from check-in to boarding with the latest biometric facial recognition technology.
Faces uses facial recognition technology to identify enrolled guests as they approach the automated boarding gate, allowing them to board their flight without having to present any travel documents.
“The face becomes the passport. It will be your digital identity. We’ve successfully piloted it in Malaysia and we are rolling out this technology in Asean very soon,” said Omar.
“We look forward to this because it is very important for us to embrace technology that can facilitate volume and seamless journey for our passengers,” she added.
To grow exponentially, the airline company has reiterated its call for the government to scrap the exit tax of P1,620 and build a dedicated low-cost carrier terminal and offer airport incentives.
“The easy connection is already there. We need low passenger service charge to drive volume and stimulate demand,” she said. (KOC)