Cebu Pacific acquires new A330-300

MANILA, Philippines – Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has received a new Airbus A330-300 aircraft, enabling it to offer more seats for passengers in time for the holiday peak season.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific said the new aircraft would be used for flights between Manila and Hong Kong, making available over 9,800 seats per week.

With the upgrade, Cebu Pacific’s available seats rose 22 percent compared to the previous year, allowing it to maintain its position as the largest Philippine operating carrier in the Philippines – Hong Kong market.

“CEB (Cebu Pacific) also takes pride as the only Philippine carrier linking Hong Kong to other cities in the Philippines, such as Cebu, Clark and Iloilo,” said Paterno Mantaring Jr., vice president for corporate affairs at Cebu Pacific.

Configured with 436 all economy-class seats, the new aircraft will join Cebu Pacific’s existing fleet of six A330s flying on long haul and select regional and domestic routes.

Cebu Pacific is currently modernizing its fleet to expand destinations and increase flights.

At present, the carrier has a 58-strong fleet composed of five Airbus A319s, 36 Airbus A320s, seven Airbus A330s, eight ATR 72-500, and two ATR 72-600 aircraft.

Cebu Pacific offers flights to a total of 38 domestic and 30 international destinations spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and the US.

The group is targeting to carry a total of 20 million passengers this year.

As of the end of October this year, Cebu Pacific served a total of 16 million passengers, up five percent from the 15.22 million in the same period a year ago.

Last year, the group carried a total of 18.4 million passengers.