Seair eyes to hike passenger load to 1.5M with new routes

SOUTHEAST Asian Airlines (Seair) is eyeing to increase its passenger load to 1.5 million annually as soon as the company's expansion program is fully implemented.

Seair chief operation officer Patrick Tan said currently they are carrying an average of 500,000 passengers every year, but this is expected to increase by 200 percent with the opening of the Manila to Davao and Manila to Cebu routes.

Seair will launch two daily flights from Manila to Davao on August 18 using its 144-seater Airbus 319 aircraft. The Manila-Davao route alone is expected to carry 200,000 passengers every year.

The Manila-Davao route is part of Seair's expansion of domestic operations to seven cities nationwide, including Iloilo, Bacolod, Kalibo, Tacloban, Cebu and Puerto Princesa. The flights will operate from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4.

Seair had recently converted its operations from that of a leisure airline to low-cost budget one with a fleet consisting of three Airbus 320s and two Airbus 319s. It presently flies form Clark to Singapore, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu.

"The change in business model can only enhance our passenger experience of short and safe flights from one island destination to another. The new Airbus planes are more spacious and can accommodate up to 180 seats with generous leg room," Tan said in a statement.

"And, in comparison to other airlines servicing the same destinations, Seair offers the lowest fares in the market," Tan added.

Seair's move to fly to Davao from Manila elated Department of Tourism (DOT) Davao Region Director Art Boncato.

"It's a great development. Our major objective in the DOT is to continually improve Davao's connectivity within the country and the region. This is in line with our effort to grow our international and domestic arrivals in the medium term," Boncato told Sun.Star Davao.

Since Seair's opening of the Manila-Davao route coincides with the Kadayawan sa Dabaw, Boncato expects the number of arrivals to rise during the celebration.

"More seats available mean more opportunities for Kadayawan to receive guests. We have been coordinating with Seair and have expressed support to make their mission to grow Davao as a destination," Boncato said.