Cebu Pacific seeks CAB okay to service Singapore route

Cebu Pacific has asked the CAB to designate it as the second Philippine carrier to Singapore in place of one of the two designated carriers which is no longer flying the route.

Cebu Pacific CEO Lance Gokongwei said his airline has designated in 1997 by the Office of the President as an official carrier to Singapore, among other destinations, but could not fly as yet since the two carrier slots available were already taken.

In March 1999, however, the second designated carrier to Singapore, Pacific East Asia Cargo, stopped operations and terminated all its aircraft leases.

"There is in effect an open slot in our existing air services agreement with Singapore and we thought that Cebu Pacific is in the best position right now to fill that void. We have the financial and technical capability to start this service soon after our designation is made official by its conveyance to and acceptance by the Singapore government," he said.

Gokongwei said Cebu Pacific, being the second largest domestic carrier now in the country after only four years of operation, is ready to fly international. "We really wanted to first establish a major domestic presence before flying abroad. Now we have flown our first international flight, a Davao-Palau charter. We are ready."

Gokongwei issued this statement to rectify articles published the other day from spurious press releases disseminated by non-Cebu Pacific parties. These reports falsely attributed statements to Cebu Pacific vice president Peggy Vera regarding open skies in connection with Singapore, reported to have been made at the House inquiry on aviation policy last March 22. Cebu Pacific did not make such statements.

He said Cebu Pacific's request to be designated the second carrier does not require renegotiation of the air services agreement with Singapore. "All it needs is for us to be allowed to take over the slot that has been idled by the non-operation of the airline that up to now holds the second designation."