BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific is evaluating the possibility of expanding its presence in Australia, as it takes delivery of more jets through 2022.
Cebu Pacific Vice President Candice A. Iyog listed Perth and Cairns as potential destinations for the group’s Australian expansion.
“As more brand-new aircraft enter the Cebu Pacific fleet, we are now in a position to seriously study the possibility of expanding to more destinations in Australia,” she said.
Cebu Pacific currently has a fleet of one Airbus A321neo, 36 Airbus A320s, seven Airbus A321ceos, eight Airbus A330s, eight ATR 72-500s, and 12 ATR 72-600s.
It is set to receive 12 brand new aircraft in 2019 — six Airbus A321neos, five A320 neos and one ATR 72-600.
Through 2022, the company will engage in a massive refleeting program that will upgrade old aircraft and add more fuel efficient ones to end 2022 with 83 jets. It also plans to retire eight of its wide body A330s, and replace them with as much as 15 Airbus A330 neos or Boeing 787s.
“Connecting key cities such as Perth or Cairns would give more Australians easier access to the Philippines, and enable more Filipino-Australians to visit family more often,” Iyog said.
The budget carrier currently flies five times weekly between Manila and Sydney, and thrice weekly between Manila and Melbourne.
Her group’s enthusiasm comes as Cebu Pacific took the lion’s share of the Philippines-Australia market, after flying 18,971 passengers in the 11-month period leading to November 2018, data from Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics showed.
The figure, the total for all Cebu Pacific flights from Manila to Sydney and Melbourne, represents a 56-percent uptick from the year prior.
“We are encouraged by our performance in the Australia market,” Iyog added.
For the said period, a total of 48,064 passengers traveled between Manila, Melbourne and Sydney on direct connections mounted by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Qantas, a 31.3-percent increase.
This means Cebu Pacific took 39.5 percent of the market, while PAL was trailing at 38.1 percent. Qantas only operates direct connections between Manila and Sydney.
“We have an average market share of about 40 percent for our Melbourne and Sydney routes. We are pleased with the strong reception in Melbourne for Cebu Pacific,” Iyog said.
Cebu Pacific launched its Melbourne services in August last year, which increased the capacity between the Philippines and Australia by 32 percent, while growing passenger volume by 31 percent.