Cebu Pacific (CEB) is set to deploy three new aircraft in its Clark Hub to support its launch of 13 domestic and international routes this April.
Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer, said the three additional Airbus NEO aircraft are on top of the 10 new aircraft that will be delivered in 2023 to expand the airline’s entire fleet.
“We have programmed 10 deliveries this year, but having seen that the Philippine economy recovers at a much faster rate, and seeing opportunities outside Metro Manila, CEB acquired more aircraft,” Lao said during the event at Clark International Airport yesterday.
With the three new aircraft, Lao said CEB will be operating 13 new routes out of Clark International Airport starting April 21 which is made up of eight domestic and five international destinations.
These include Clark to Caticlan, 14 times weekly; 11 times weekly flights to Davao; and three times weekly flights to Iloilo, Bacolod and General Santos, starting April.
In addition, there will be three times weekly flights to Cagayan de Oro by May this year and three times weekly flights to Puerto Princesa this June.
For international flights, starting this April, CEB will fly to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Macau, and to Narita, Japan by May this year.
“We are excited to reestablish our presence in such an important gateway that will boost accessibility and connectivity for the traveling public. Furthermore, it allows us to boost our third operating hub in the Philippines that will help generate economic opportunities to support the country’s growth agenda,” said Lao.
CEB is hiring at least 140 employees to serve the expansion in the Clark hub, of which 90 are cabin crew, 20 are engineering and the remaining are pilots and on-ground staff, according to Lao.
Data from the International Air Transport Association showed that every job in the air transport industry supports 29 other jobs in tourism, supply chain and other related sectors.
“Clark International Airport (CRK) and Cebu Pacific are committed to delivering a seamless and hassle-free travel experience to our passengers. With the resumption of pre-pandemic Cebu Pacific flights and the introduction of new routes, travelers may now seamlessly connect international and domestic destinations from this world-class terminal,” said Noel Manankil, president and chief executive officer of LIPAD Corp., the private consortium that manages Clark International Airport.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) lauded CEB’s initiative to bolster its Clark station.
“This would steer the transport sector, specifically the aviation industry, toward full recovery. The increased connectivity from Clark will also help develop the station as a premiere hub for aviation and international logistics in the Asia-Pacific region,” DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
To encourage more travelers, CEB is launching a special seat sale on all domestic and international destinations that will allow travelers to book their flights to and from Clark from February 27 to March 1, 2023, for as low as P1 one-way base fare, exclusive of surcharges and fees. The travel period is from April 21 to October 29.
Meanwhile, LIPAD Corp. said the total number of flights in Clark airport’s new terminal increased by 137 percent to 5,554 in 2022 from 2,366 in 2021, of which 73 percent were international flights and 27 percent were domestic flights.
Passenger traffic grew 299 percent to 768,826 in 2022 versus 192,542 in the previous year, according to LIPAD’s latest data.
