From the fourth quarter of 2017 until the first quarter of 2018, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is increasing the number of flights between the Philippines and selected routes in Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia on the back of higher demand during the peak Yuletide season.
From the current five-times-weekly flights, the airline will fly six times a week between Manila and Osaka, Japan starting November 3, 2017 until December 6, 2017. The Manila-Osaka route will increase further to daily operations by December 15, 2017 to March 2018, in time for the Christmas season.
For the Manila-Nagoya route, Cebu Pacific will fly six times a week, up from the current four times weekly, starting October 29, 2017. For Tokyo (Narita), Cebu Pacific will boost frequency by 100% from the current seven times a week to 14 times weekly, starting October 29, 2017 until March 24, 2018.
The airline will also increase flights to and from Bali (Denpasar), Indonesia from the current four times a week to five times weekly, starting December 4, 2017 until March 6, 2018.
From five times weekly, Cebu Pacific will also increase flights between Manila and Hanoi, Vietnam to daily, or seven times a week, from December 1, 2017 to January 9, 2018.
“We constantly review our route network and frequencies to respond to changing market needs and operational requirements. Depending on seasonal factors, we make flight schedule changes as necessary, while keeping in mind the bookings of our passengers, many of whom book flights way in advance,” explained Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs Atty. JR Mantaring in a statement.
Cebu Pacific had earlier expressed interest in mounting operations between Manila and Tokyo-Haneda, citing strong demand to fly to Japan’s Haneda Airport, which is closer to Tokyo’s city center. For the last two years, the carrier has been requesting the Philippine government to ask its Japanese counterpart for bilateral air talks.
For the first half of 2017, Cebu Pacific carried 10.1 million passengers, roughly the same volume lifted in the same period in 2016—the height of the electoral campaign season. Of the total, 7.5 million flew on domestic routes, while 2.6 million travelled via the airline’s 26 international destinations.
The carrier is planning to sell off three Airbus A319 aircraft over the next 12 months to make way for brand-new aircraft, the first set of which are scheduled to arrive by the first quarter of 2018. Cebu Pacific is also awaiting delivery of seven Airbus A321CEO in 2018, and from 2018 to 2022, an additional 32 Airbus A321NEO planes. The carrier also has an existing order for 10 ATR 72-600 aircraft with Franco-Italian manufacturer Aerei da Trasporto Regionale, set for delivery from 2017 to 2020.
