AIRASIA Philippines said they suspended the daily flights from Manila to Davao to accommodate the increased demand for flights to Boracay and Palawan.
In a recent article by the Philippine Star, Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines spokesman said in an interview that the airline is ramping up services to high-demand routes, adding more flights to Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran, and Tacloban.
Dailisan clarified that the suspension is mainly to free up an aircraft for redeployment, as Manila-Davao flights performed well prior to its suspension.
“(It is not because of) low demand, but more of competitive pricing. The aircraft will be utilized to add frequency also to leisure destinations Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran, and Tacloban, where AirAsia is top performing,” he said.
He also mentioned in his statement that “airlines burn more fuel to connect Manila with Davao than with Caticlan, where Boracay is, and Puerto Princesa”, and explained that the usual flight time from Manila to Davao takes almost two hours, while Caticlan is just 45 minutes away and Puerto Princesa is only an hour and 15 minutes.
The report also added that as part of its system-wide reorganization, the AirAsia Group will transfer its aviation business from Capital A Berhad to AirAsia X, with completion expected this year.
The airline operates a fleet of 16 Airbus A320 aircraft in the Philippines, covering domestic and international destinations.
