AirAsia backs call for equal distribution of airport slots

CEBU, Philippines —  Budget airline AirAsia Philippines has firmly endorsed Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s initiative to enhance connectivity to the Visayas and Mindanao regions. This support centers on advocating for an increased allocation of slots to domestic carriers, a move poised to transform travel accessibility in these key regions of the Philippines.

“Additional slots will allow AirAsia to flourish in Visayas and Mindanao especially since we also plan to grow our domestic market by 20 percent in 2024,” said AirAsia country head for communications and public affairs and first officer Steve Dailisan.

According to Dailisan, additional slots will allow AirAisa to revive flights to Zamboanga, Dumaguete, and General Santos City, and expand frequency in Cagayan de Oro, a gateway to Northern Mindanao.

“This, in turn, will give AirAsia the upper hand to continue to provide the best value airfares and best travel deals as we continue to democratize air travel for everyone,” he added.

An airport slot is a permit issued by airport administration to airlines to utilize an airport’s takeoff and landing facilities.

During the 2024 Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agencies’ Budget Briefing, Senator Zubiri stated that equal distribution of unutilized slots should be given to airlines that can operate now to provide more flights for Filipinos.

The Senate President in particular mentioned AirAsia Philippines, which is now boosting its fleet through the backing of Capital A.

“AirAsia is buying more planes and their problem is that they cannot use the planes because they have no slots. I’m just lobbying for our passengers because we need more flights, particularly Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, and other destinations in the Philippines,” Zubiri said.

Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista explained that unutilized slots as a result of the reduction of flights during the pandemic were given to other airlines that were willing to operate during that time.

However, Bautista explained that DOTr would evaluate the availability of slots with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and “will give available slots to AirAsia”.

As of September 2023, AirAsia Philippines flies 312 times weekly to 14 local destinations with an average load factor of 91 percent per flight.

The Malaysian low-cost airline plans to bring in A321neo and A330 aircraft next year to service more guests, especially Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

In 2022, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that the Philippines’ domestic recovery rate soared to 84.31 percent, with a total of 102.9 million domestic trips recorded. This marked a significant rebound from the pre-pandemic figure of 122.12 million domestic trips in 2019.