Cebu Pacific Inc. (CEB) plans to augment its workforce by 21 percent adding over 600 employees by the end of this year, as it ramps up its network operations to address the surge in travel demand with the easing of restrictions.
In a filing at the Philippine Stock Exchange, CEB said it anticipates having approximately 3,678 employees by the end of 2022 which is 20.7 percent higher than its 3,046 workforce in 2021.
Still, the target workforce this year is 15 percent lower compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Last November, CEB began to rehire laid off cabin crew and pilots in preparation for growth and recovery, after the strict travel restrictions imposed severely affected its operations due to the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases that started in March 2020.
The airline retrenched over 1,300 employees in 2020, significantly reducing its workforce to 2,662 from 4,352 before the pre-pandemic in 2019 as its operation was suspended for several months due to the pandemic.
CEB said it anticipates to recover its pre-COVID domestic capacity levels by the second quarter of 2022 driven by strong domestic demand, with bookings steeply increasing over the past few months.
Starting this month, CEB is expected to restore 100 percent of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity after it ramped up its network.
As the summer peak travel season approaches, the airline has noted a 200 percent increase in its average daily flights for both domestic and international combined — from about 100 flights per day in 2020 to about 300 at present.
Flights from Manila to key domestic destinations, such as Boracay and Cebu, have exceeded its 2019 flight frequencies, CEB added.
To support its network expansion, the airline will have 53 aircraft deliveries from 2022 to 2027. CEB said the additional aircraft will support its plan to increase frequency on current routes and to add new city pairs and destinations.
CEB has also resumed its Manila-Hong Kong flights starting last April 1, after the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region lifted the ban on the entry of passengers from nine countries, including the Philippines, to the Hong Kong International Airport.
