Cebu Pacific tops RP carriers in first half passenger volume

MANILA, Philippines - Low-fare airline Cebu Pacific (CEB) ranked first among Philippine carriers in carrying the most number of passengers for its combined domestic and international operations in the first half of the year.

Based on the Civil Aviation Board’s official report covering the six-month period, CEB flew 5.09 million passengers for combined domestic and international traffic, or 214,416 passengers more than Philippine Airlines (PAL). PAL carried 4.88 million passengers; Air Philippines Express flew 667,686; Zest Air, formerly known as Asian Spirit had 623,529 passengers; and Seair flew 132,638.

CEB, the airline brand of the Gokongwei-owned JG Summit Holdings, successfully maintained its position as the country’s largest carrier. It strongly dominated the domestic air travel market in the first half of the year with a market share of 48.7 percent, and carried 1.2 million passengers more than its closest competitor Philippine Airlines.

The company attributed its remarkable 26-percent international passenger base growth to its robust positions in Asian destinations such as Osaka, Seoul (Incheon), Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Macau.

“Our continued expansion in Asia and in the Philippines coupled with our trademark low fares has stimulated travel and tourism. It also enabled affordable and accessible business travel opportunities for many small and medium enterprises. This is proof of our commitment to nation-building in making the Philippines a vibrant investment and tourism destination,” CEB vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said.

She added that they expect to further boost combined domestic and international traffic in the last quarter of the year as CEB takes delivery of three brand-new Airbus A320 aircraft. These aircraft will be used to mount additional flights to Kota Kinabalu, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Seoul (Incheon).

The airline currently offers the most number of flights, routes and destinations from the Philippines to the ASEAN region.

CEB operates the youngest aircraft fleet in the country with 10 Airbus A319, 11 Airbus A320 and eight ATR 72-500 aircraft and will take delivery of three brand-new A320 aircraft in the last quarter of 2010. It operates the most extensive network in the country with 33 domestic and 16 international destinations.