CEB flies 2.8 million passengers in 3rd quarter

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

THE Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific, flew almost 2.8 million passengers from July to September 2011 with a system-wide 84 percent load factor.

From January to September, CEB had flown over 8.7 million passengers, keeping it on track for its 12-million target for 2011.

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CEB posted a 12 percent system-wide year-on-year growth in the third quarter of 2011, largely due to a 22 percent increase in the number of international passengers.

The airline’s domestic passengers also increased with an 85 percent load factor in the third quarter of 2011, compared to 83 percent for the same period in 2010, even if July to September are considered lean travel months in the Philippines.

The airline flew almost 660,000 international and more than 2,129,000 million domestic passengers in the third quarter of 2011, compared to almost 2.5 million passengers in the same period of 2010.

Passengers to and from Taiwan grew by 60 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2011, while passengers to and from Vietnam grew by 56 percent.

Traffic to and from South Korea also grew by 58 percent year-on-year in the same period, as CEB now flies from both Manila and Cebu to Incheon (Seoul) and Busan.

“The number of CEB passengers grew faster than CEB’s seat capacity in Q3 2011, so we are very happy with our growth on a traditionally lean travel season domestically. We expect these figures to surge further upward with long holidays, more flights and four new Airbus A320 aircraft that enter into service in the 4th quarter of this year,” said CEB Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

“We just opened two new domestic routes, and announced additional international flights starting January 2012. CEB’s passengers can continue to expect more of our trademark low fares, ever-expanding network and young aircraft fleet in their travels,” she added.

For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www.cebupacificair.com or call the reservation hotlines (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888. The latest seat sales and promos can also be found on CEB’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 17 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. By the end of 2011, CEB will be operating a fleet of 37 aircraft -- with an average age of less than 3.5 years -- one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world.

Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 23 Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders, and two Airbus A320 aircraft on operating lease agreements. (Reynaldo Navales)