Cebu Pacific adds 3 more Airbus planes to fleet

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific ended October not only with an expanded network, but also with a boosted fleet, thanks to the arrival of three new widebody aircraft from Airbus.

Cebu Pacific said it received three consecutive deliveries of new units from Airbus in just a span of seven days in October.

By batch, Cebu Pacific took in two A321neos – one on Oct. 23 and one on Oct. 30 – and A320ceo, which arrived on Oct. 28.

With this, the airline owned by the Gokongweis has received 15 aircraft so far this year, allowing it to pursue network expansion both here and overseas. Earlier, Cebu Pacific said it expects to receive 17 aircraft this year.

Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the new jets would help the carrier fly more passengers and serve expansion routes. These aircraft will also gear up Cebu Pacific for the peak season in December.

“We are excited to expand our fleet with these additional aircraft ahead of the peak travel season in December,” Lao said.

“These deliveries are a key part of our continuous efforts to expand routes and enhance services, allowing us to better serve the increasing number of travelers,” he added.

Currently, Cebu Pacific operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, made up of nine A330s, 40 A320s, 24 A321s, as well as 15 turboprops.

This fleet enables the airline to offer the widest domestic coverage among Philippine carriers. To date, Cebu Pacific reaches 35 local destinations and 26 foreign cities across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Cebu Pacific is embarking on a series of route expansion to spur travel interest. Before the end of October, the airline launched its inaugural flight to Chiang Mai from Manila, becoming the lone carrier in the Philippines to fly the route.

Cebu Pacific also resumed its Iloilo flights to Hong Kong, and the airline will resume Singapore services on Nov/ 25.

Preparing for the long term, the carrier signed a firm order with Airbus for the purchase of up to 152 narrowbodies, amounting to $24 billion, or around P1.4 trillion, marking the largest aircraft order in Philippine history.