Cebu Pacific inks $236-M fleet maintenance contract with SIAEC

Manila, Philippines - Cebu Air Inc., the airline unit of the business empire of tycoon John Gokong-wei, has inked a five-year, $236-million contract with SIA Engineering Co. Ltd. for the maintenance, repair and overhaul services of its fleet.

In a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Cebu Air, which operates under the Cebu Pacific brand, said SIAEC would provide these services to the airline’s fleet in the Philippines and Singapore.

The five-year contract covers the rapidly growing fleet of Cebu Air which is beefing up its current fleet of 30 A320/A319 aircraft with the delivery of an additional 22 A320 aircraft over the next five years.

SIAEC chief executive officer William Tan said the new agreement further strengthens the strong synergies and excellent relationship between SIAEC and Cebu Air since the signing of the first fleet management contract between the companies in 2005.

He added that both SIAEC and Cebu Air have worked in close partnership to uphold the engineering excellence and high dispatch reliability of the airline.

“With three decades of experience in servicing a wide range of Airbus aircraft, including being the first in the world to undertake heavy maintenance of the A380, our customers are assured of high quality and on-time delivery for the Airbus aircraft entrusted to us,” Tan added.

Cebu Air chief executive officer Lance Gokongwei said the next five years would be an exciting time for the airline.

“We will continue to grow our fleet and widen our network. We look forward to SIAEC’s extensive and highly efficient aircraft maintenance services,” he said.

SIAEC’s fleet management business currently covers 13 airlines with a fleet size of more than 211 aircraft. More than half of the fleet is operated by non-SIA airlines, spanning across Asia, Australia and the United States.

SIAEC, together with its 25 joint ventures and subsidiaries across nine countries, forms the SIAEC Group. The group provides extensive maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft to more than 80 international airlines worldwide.

With certifications from more than 20 airworthiness authorities, SIAEC’s six hangars and 22 in-house workshops in Singapore provide complete services in airframe, component, engine, aircraft conversions and modifications to major airlines from four continents.