For domestic routes airline sees hints of recovery by mid-2022

CEBU, Philippines — Air travel capacity is seen to return to normalcy, at least for the domestic routes in the middle of 2022, Cebu Pacific (CEB) forecasted.

With the encouraging momentum and improved confidence to travel among Filipinos, CEB chief strategy officer Alex Reyes expressed optimism that network size of the airline’s flights will hit the pre-pandemic level before the end of 2022.

However, Reyes admitted that international air connection may take longer, as the airline is seeing a subdued recovery in terms of international market.

Unlike in 2020 level, Christmas season travel activities have improved this year, as the easing of travel restrictions continue within the domestic destinations, confirmed CEB Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience, Candice Iyog.

“Travel demand is catching up with the capacity in December [2021],” Iyog said during the Travel Industry Stakeholder Event held virtually last Tuesday, December 7, 2021.

At present, CEB is operating 60 percent of its pre-Covid capacity, “and we are seeing additional capacity absorbed by the market quite quickly.”

It has added more flights to key domestic destinations, such as, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and General Santos, following the easing of travel restrictions. 

This development, Iyog said is a good sign of optimism from the traveling public, she added.

Anticipating the full rebound to happen in 2022, the Gokongwei-owned airline announced the entry of six new aircraft this year.

CEB is receiving a total of six aircraft in 2021: two A321neo (new engine option), one A320neo, two A330neo, and one ATR 72-600. 

The airline received on November 28 its first A330neo which paves the way for it to become the greenest airline in Asia. The airline’s newest aircraft features 459 lightweight Recaro seats which allows more travelers to be carried in a single flight, resulting in lowest carbon footprint per passenger, making CEB the greenest airline in Asia. With the A330neo’s latest technologies, this eco-plane consumes 25 percent less fuel than previous generation aircraft and is eco-efficient -- able to consume as little as 1.4 liters per seat per 100 kilometers. 

“We’ve already taken deliveries of the two A321neos, the A330 and the A320. Another A330neo, along with the ATR 72-600, are expected to arrive. We are among the few airlines in the world and the only one in the Philippines to take deliveries during a pandemic, which is a testament to CEB’s resilience, liquidity, and expected recovery as we enter 2022,” Reyes noted.

This month, CEB has raised its daily flights from Manila to Boracay to 11 times daily from 9 times daily. Operations between Cebu and Manila will increase to 11 times daily from 9 times daily. Flights to Cagayan de Oro will ramp up to 7 times daily from 5 times daily. Manila to Davao flights will go up to 5 times daily from 3 times daily in December.  

For international destinations, Cebu Pacific will also resume its operations to Fukuoka every Tuesday starting today, December 7; to Bangkok every Thursday and Saturday, starting Dec 11; and to Taiwan every Wednesday, starting December 15. 

“We continue to rebuild our domestic and international network to support tourism growth in 2022 while continuing to promote safe and responsible travel. This is the only way to regain trust and confidence in travel, paving the way towards economic recovery,” added Iyog.

The Philippines – famous for its diving destinations, beaches, and thousands of tropical islands – saw an 84 percent drop in foreign arrivals in 2020, receiving 1.32 million visitors, compared to 8.26 million in 2019. Japan, South Korea, and China are its biggest tourism markets.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, in her speech during the virtual event assured stakeholders of the country’s ability to recover, while urging players to help the government to rebuild the tourism sector, and the economy in general.

“We, in the Department of Tourism, believe that our days of despair are over as we’ve seen many encouraging signs in the last few weeks. This includes the continually dropping COVID case numbers, easing of alert levels and restrictions on mobility, and even the lessening of quarantine days for fully vaccinated Filipinos returning from overseas,” Romulo-Puyat said.

CEB now operates with 100 percent vaccinated active flying crew. It has also been rated 7/7 stars by airlineratings.com for its COVID-19 compliance as it continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, in accordance with global aviation standards. These include daily extensive cleaning and disinfection protocols for all aircraft and facilities, antigen testing before duty for all frontliners and crew members, and contactless flight procedures. Its jet fleet is equipped with hospital grade HEPA (High Efficiency Particular Arrestor) air filters, keeping viruses at bay. 

CEB domestic network in the Philippines covers 33 destinations on top of its 12 international destinations.