Cebu Pacific to launch Taiwan flights by Q2

Cebu Pacific, the airlines unit of tycoon John Gokongwei, will start flying to Taiwan in the second quarter of the year as part of a continuing plan to expand its reach and boost sales.

Industry sources said Cebu Pacific will operate daily flights between Manila and Taiwan as it pursues its expansion as a regional carrier.

Cebu Pacific is further expanding its fleet by buying up to 20 Airbus A320 planes worth $1.3 billion which will be delivered between 2010 and 2013.

The A320 Family has proved to be extremely popular with both full-service and low-cost airlines across the region, with more than 600 aircraft currently in service with 39 operators in the region.

It also has a widespread reputation for high dispatch reliability even on short hops, with wide aisles facilitating quick turnarounds for efficient operations.

Cebu Pacific completed an earlier refleeting program which cost $670 million, with the arrival of its 14th Airbus jet last March 2. It operates 20 domestic and seven regional destinations using 10 A319s and four A320s with a fleet age of less than one year.

Cebu Pacific expects the number of passengers to reach 10 million in 2013 from five million this year.

The fleet expansion is a continuance of the airline’s commitment to provide more Filipinos the opportunity to fly not only within the Philippines but around the wider Asia Pacific region too.

Cebu Pacific has added Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta to its route network as well as expanding its service to Hong Kong and Korea. It is looking at additional routes within the four-hour flying radius in North Asia such as China and other countries in Southeast Asia.

On the homefront, Cebu Pacific is planning to open additional air service to Davao by mid-2007 and more flights to Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Kalibo in 2008.

Cebu Pacific’s budget fares have increased its popularity among Filipino fliers. It emerged as the country’s top airline in 2006 as the number of passengers it carried grew 57 percent to 3.5 million from the previous year’s 2.2 million.

Of the 3.5 million, three million were on domestic flights and the rest from regional flights.

International traffic industry-wide grew almost double last year and is expected to experience the same growth levels this year, especially with more low-cost offerings all over Asia.

Established in 1996, Cebu Pacific is currently the country’s second largest airline and second flag carrier, capturing one-third of the domestic market and a lion’s share of flights in the Visayas and Mindanao.