Cebu Pacific Newsroom

Cebu Pacific’s A320s ready for summer tourists

Cebu Pacific will take delivery of its two Airbus 320s in April and May, in time for the influx of tourists from Japan and South Korea .

“As the new planes come in, we will be adding more flights to and from Korea and Japan as well as service new domestic destinations,” Bong Mojica, Cebu Pacific general manager said.

The 179-seater A320 aircraft is known for low maintenance and fuel costs which would allow CEB to continue offering its trademark value fares.

Mojica said the previous year's tourist receipts indicate the continuous uptrend in tourist arrivals.

Japanese tourist arrivals grew by 20.37 percent to 348,472 in 2004 from the previous year; Korean tourists numbered 340,486 last year, up by 26 percent from 2003.

Tourist receipts from January to October 2004 rose by 32.39 percent to $1.61 billion from $1.22 billion the previous year, reflecting the industry's potential as a major dollar earner and job provider.

CEB's new flights could use the airline's Cebu and Manila hubs for the convenience of travelers. CEB dominates domestic flights in the Visayas-Mindanao region using the Cebu hub.

Cebu has become a top tourist destination because of its visitor-friendly airport facilities. Korea was Cebu 's top source of foreign tourists in 2004, accounting for 29.20 percent of foreign tourists to the province, followed by Japan , with 28.97 percent.

“More flights to and from countries like Japan and Korea mean more tourists and more investors that will generate jobs in the provinces,” he added.

The airline is also scheduled to take delivery of a brand-new Airbus 319 aircraft in September, the first of 12 it had purchased for its refleeting program aimed at expanding its domestic and regional operations.