Cebu Pacific is confident to be back on track and restore 100% of its pre-COVID network and capacity by March this year. This was announced by airline president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao during a media event held last January 25 at the Ayala Museum in Makati City.
“We’re quite excited for 2023, given that all these markets have opened up,” he said.
During the program, Lao disclosed that their airline has resumed flying to 34 domestic and 25 international destinations.
“With the reopening of more international destinations and relaxation of travel requirements, we look forward to a substantial growth from our international network,” added Lao.
Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Candice Iyog shared that there are no more travel requirements going to Bangkok and Taiwan and no more tests required to travel to South Korea, Japan and Australia.
“China has also reopened their tourism. There are no more quarantine requirements when you travel there as well as to Hong Kong and Macau,” she said.
To address the increasing passenger demand, especially that many Filipinos are taking their “revenge travel” quite seriously, Cebu Pacific will soon be adding 10 brand new planes – three A320neo, three A321neo, and four A330neo – into their fleet this year.
“The SAF (sustainable aviation fuel)-powered aircraft delivery supports our sustainability strategy in shifting to a more fuel-efficient fleet by 2028. We will continue to commit to invest time and resources to be the greenest airline in Asia and the world, ” Iyog said.
Both airline executives are bullish with the prospects of the future in the airline industry, stating that Cebu Pacific has “emerged stronger after nearly three years of pandemic” and that they are now more than ready “to give their passengers a better flying experience”.