Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ leading carrier, said
its Cebu hub is expected to hit 129 percent capacity in June this year, exceeding
its pre-pandemic network, as the airline raises to 28 its combined domestic and
international routes operating in Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
CEBU PACIFIC HUB -- Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Candice Iyog (center) poses for a photo with (L-R) Charles Co, President of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Department of Tourism (DOT) Central Office Director Judilyn Quiachon, President of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Riza Macaibay of DOT Region 7, and Alfred Reyes, President of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu.
In a statement, CEB said it will start operating direct
flights between Cebu and Taipei daily starting June 23, increasing its network
from MCIA to a total of 23 domestic and 5 international destinations for a
total of 28 destinations operating from its Cebu hub. CEB will also ramp up its
flight frequencies to 11 of its destinations from Cebu.
The new and resumed flights from Cebu as well as the
additional frequencies are expected to increase the total number of seats by 21
percent, equivalent to 76,000 more seats per month.
To support this expansion, CEB will increase its Cebu hub's
fleet to 13, with 2 additional aircraft to be based at MCIA. The added aircraft
are on top of the 10 new Airbus NEO aircraft that will be delivered in 2023 to
expand the airline’s entire fleet.
The airline previously announced that it would operate
direct flights from Cebu to Naga starting March 26 and resume flights to Hong
Kong and Narita from Cebu on March 26 and May 1, respectively.
"Cebu Pacific is proud to have its largest base outside
Manila in one of the best airports in Asia. We are excited to further expand
our Cebu hub to connect more travelers to some of the world’s best beaches and
islands,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer
Experience Officer.
To encourage passengers to travel, CEB is launching a
special seat sale from March 20 to 23, allowing travelers from Visayas and
Mindanao to book their flights to select domestic and international
destinations for as low as PHP 1 one-way base fare, exclusive of fees and
surcharges. The travel period is from June 1 to September 30, 2023.
The expansion of the CEB’s hubs in Clark and Cebu comes as
the airline turns 27 years old this March. The airline celebrated the milestone
by holding a special anniversary gathering at NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu
City.
CEB flew its maiden voyage from Manila to Cebu on March 8,
1996. Since then, the airline has made it its mission to enable every Juan to
fly by offering affordable and accessible flights and continuously ramping up
its network.
CEB currently flies to 34 domestic and 25 international
destinations, spanning across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.