Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific will close 2019 as the largest carrier in terms of capacity at the Clark International Airport (CRK), as well as the Busuanga and Puerto Princesa airports in Palawan.
The increases in capacity share come following the start of direct commercial service between Clark and Guangzhou, China; Clark and Puerto Princesa; and Puerto Princesa and Hong Kong.
By end-2019, Cebu Pacific will hold 28% capacity share at CRK, where it has continuously operated since 2006 as its hub for North and Central Luzon.
From Clark, Cebu Pacific operates 190 flights weekly to Bacolod, Bohol, Caticlan (Boracay), Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Narita (Tokyo) and Singapore.
“Cebu Pacific has taken a measured pace of expansion in Clark, but we have always believed in the potential of Clark. Over the past 12 months, our capacity growth in Clark hit over 90%. With the growth in passenger traffic in Clark, we are bullish that the new routes we launched over the past few months will continue to perform strongly,” Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer Alexander Lao said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific will cap 2019 with a 46% total capacity share in Puerto Princesa, the main gateway to Palawan, and the Busuanga Airport, which caters to Coron and the rest of northern Palawan. Cebu Pacific operates 190 flights weekly to and from Palawan, equivalent to over 1.1 million seats.
Aside from Hong Kong and Clark, Cebu Pacific has direct flights to Manila, Iloilo and Cebu from Puerto Princesa. From the Busuanga Airport on the other hand, Cebu Pacific operates direct flights to Manila and Cebu.
“We remain confident that Hong Kong will bounce back, and despite current concerns, there is continued demand for travel between Hong Kong and the Philippines. We are confident in the potential of Palawan to grow tourism sustainably, and we will continue to work with our stakeholders in Palawan to better connect the province to the rest of the Philippines and to key tourist catchpoints in Asia,” Cebu Pacific vice president for commercial Alex Reyes said.
As of end-September 2019, Cebu Pacific ramped up capacity by 23%, totaling 19 million seats. The carrier flew close to 16 million passengers on 121 routes with more than 2,600 weekly flights.