PHILIPPINE budget airline Cebu Pacific (CEB) recorded significant growth in both passenger volume and load factor in the second quarter due to strong domestic and international travel.
CEB flew 3.111 million passengers from April to June, 15% more than the same period last year.
Domestic travelers rose 13% to 2.428 million and international passengers, 21% to 683,000.
Load factor reached 89%, eclipsing the 88% recorded in the same months last year, and the 87% recorded in the first quarter of the year.
The airline’s biggest growth areas for the period were Taiwan, up 66%; South Korea, 42%; China, 38%; and Singapore, 22%.
“April and May are seasonally the strongest in domestic travel, and we will remain consistent in growing the market,” CEB vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said.
So far, CEB has 10 Airbus A319s, 15 Airbus A320s and eight ATR-72 500s.
Just last week, the airline entered into a six-year agreement with RBS Aviation Capital, one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors, for the lease of two brand-new Airbus 320s for delivery in 2012.
The two aircraft are on top of CEB’s 27 Airbus A320 aircraft purchase orders to be delivered from September 2011 until 2016, and 30 Airbus A321neo orders for delivery from 2017 to 2021.
