MANILA – Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei and Airbus executive vice president for Sales in Asia have welcomed the airline’s first Airbus A321neo.
“We are excited to welcome to Cebu Pacific a new fleet of aircraft that will usher in the next stage of our expansion,” Gokongwei said.
The A321neo can also help strengthen Cebu Pacific’s foothold in China, he said.
The Philippines’ largest airline ordered a total of 32 A321neo planes, each with a capacity of 236 seats or 31 percent more than the A320 that is currently on its fleet.
The aircraft is 15 percent more fuel efficient which can translate to lower fares, Gokongwei said.
This year Cebu Pacific will see “accelerated growth” with the arrival of 12 new aircraft including 6 Airbus A321neo, 5 A320neo and one ATR 72-600.
The low-cost carrier aims to fly 22.5 to 23 million passengers this year, higher than the 20 million passengers flown the year before, Gokongwei said.
Japanese carrier ANA’s investment in Philippine Airlines will be “good for the industry,” he said.
Cebu Pacific currently operates 1 Airbus A321neo, 36 A320, 7 A321ceo, 8 A330, 8 ATR 72-500, 12 ATR 72-600. The airline, with its subsidiary CebGo flies to 36 domestic and 26 international destinations spanning Asia, Australia, Middle East and Guam in the US. (ABS-CBN News)
