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Tag: CEB

  • Cebu Pacific upgrades aircraft fleet this year

    Cebu Pacific upgrades aircraft fleet this year

    Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific has increased its aircraft deliveries for 2023 to a record high of 21 to further improve its operational resiliency amidst growing demand for air travel.  

    The airline originally had plans to add 15 aircraft to its fleet, and now expects six more to be added to its fleet. It welcomed its ninth aircraft this year on 27 July, a brand-new Airbus A321neo, which was delivered from the Airbus centre in Hamburg, Germany using blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on its flight. 

    Cebu Pacific is expecting 21 individual aircraft delivered this year, of which 17 are NEOs and four are CEOs (current engine option) on short-term lease. It aims to shift to an all-NEO fleet by 2028. 

    Earlier in June, Cebu Pacific received a brand new A320neo aircraft from Airbus’ final assembly line in Tianjin, China, powered by SAF with 41 percent blend, marking a major milestone for its sustainable aviation initiatives.   

    “This aircraft delivery allows us to increase our operational resilience while continuing to provide safe, reliable, and affordable air travel to our passengers. Our ongoing re-fleeting with new-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft and our continued use of sustainable aviation fuel will also help our decarbonization efforts in making the aviation industry more sustainable,” said Alex Reyes, chief strategy officer.  

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  • Low cost carrier Cebu Pacific blames Pratt & Whitney for flight disruptions

    Low cost carrier Cebu Pacific blames Pratt & Whitney for flight disruptions

    Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific has attributed its series of flight cancellations to engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney, citing the delay of jet engine deliveries as the reason for operational disruptions.

    This was the essence of the airline’s explanation before a Senate hearing held on June 21, 2023. The hearing was prompted by mounting customer complaints about the airline’s widespread cancellation of domestic and international flights.

    “The global aviation industry has been impacted by Pratt & Whitney engine issues,” Cebu Pacific chief commercial officer Alexander Lao told the senate.

    Lao said that the airline had anticipated the global shortage of jet engines, so it had already placed its order with Pratt and Whitney back in 2022.

    Lao claimed that in March 2023, the American engine manufacturer advised them that “there were no more engines”, as a result of which the airline made adjustments to its flight schedules.

    In a statement published by various local media, the airline said: “While Cebu Pacific provisioned double the level of recommended spare engines as early as last year, we were advised in March 2023 that we would no longer receive the spare engine support that Pratt and Whitney had previously indicated. Immediately upon receiving such advice, we sought to adjust our flight schedule accordingly to minimize the impact. A number of flights, which were scheduled and sold months in advance, inevitably had to be disrupted.”

    One of the senators presiding over the hearing went on to question why the airline continued to aggressively market airfare promos when it knew about the jet engine shortage and limitations.

    Cebu Pacific is known to entice consumers with cheap ticket promotions such as PHP 1.00 fares ( $0.018).

    Over the past few months, frustrated passengers have uploaded video clips showing disgruntled customers dealing with Cebu Pacific’s flight cancellations.

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  • Cebu Pacific to launch Laoag flights in May

    Cebu Pacific to launch Laoag flights in May

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is set to mount flights to the Ilocos Norte capital of Laoag starting May 22, making it the 35th domestic destination in the airline’s network.

    Cebu Pacific said flights from Manila to Laoag will be daily, as the airline seeks to tap travelers seeking to explore the Ilocos region.

    “Laoag plays a crucial role in preserving the country’s rich history and culture, and we are excited to finally be able to bring more Juans to this beautiful city,” President and Chief Commercial Officer Xander Lao said in a statement.

    “We hope the launch of the Laoag route will encourage more people to travel and experience the Ilocos region,” he added.

    The carrier reported a P14-billion net loss in 2022, marking an improvement from the P24.9-billion net loss incurred in the previous year as it cut its operating loss by about half to P11.4 billion.

    The company is set to add 11 more aircraft to its fleet this 2023, seeking to return to profitability within the first quarter of the year.

    Shares in Cebu Air Inc., which operates the carrier, were trading up by P0.05 or 0.12% at P41.70 apiece as of 11:59 a.m. on Wednesday.

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  • Cebu Pacific restores flight network

    Cebu Pacific restores flight network

    Cebu Pacific is set to restore 100% of its pre-Covid network and capacity by March 2023. It now flies to 34 domestic destinations and is set to bring back all its 25 international destinations before the end of the first quarter.

    To support the return of domestic flights, the low-cost airline bundles fares to offer passengers a discount of up to 28% on their baggage, seat, and CEB Flexi fees when booking directly through the airline booking website.

    CEB offers three fare bundle options; Go Basic, Go Easy, and Go Flexi.

    On the Go Basic option, you pay for your fare and get one hand-carry baggage weighing up to 7 kg for free. With Go Easy, you can choose your standard seat and check in one piece of baggage weighing up to 20 kg.

    Score the biggest discount on your seat and baggage fees and automatically get a CEB Flexi add-on with Go Flexi. This allows you to cancel your flight, store its amount in your Travel Fund, and get all the benefits of the Go Easy bundle.

    Each fare bundle must be purchased at the initial booking for the discount to apply. CEB Fare Bundles cannot be refunded, transferred to another passenger, or stored in a Travel Fund without a purchased CEB Flexi add-on.

  • Cebu Pacific aims to boost demand for Manila – Hong Kong travel

    Cebu Pacific aims to boost demand for Manila – Hong Kong travel

    Cebu Pacific (CEB) said on Sunday it will now fly four times daily to Hong Kong, but hopes to boost demand by offering airfare discounts.

    “After Hong Kong eased requirements for inbound travelers in December, the airline operated Manila-Hong Kong flights 32 times weekly until January due to the anticipated high traffic over the resumption of the destination amid the holiday season,” Cebu Pacific Director for Corporate Communications Carmina Reyes-Romero said.

    Cebu Pacific will fly 28 times weekly for February. The budget carrier hopes Filipinos will “take advantage of the easier travel protocols in Hong Kong,” Cebu Pacific said in an e-mailed statement.

    The airline targets to restore 100% of its pre-pandemic network and capacity in March this year.

    The budget carrier currently flies to 34 domestic destinations and is set to restore all its 25 international destinations in the first quarter.

    “Even better, every Juan can fly to Hong Kong for as low as P499 one-way base fare, made possible by a CEB special seat sale which runs from Jan. 27 to 31, 2023,” the airline said.

    The travel period is from June 1 to Aug. 31 this year.

    “Upon check-in, travelers must present a negative result from an antigen test taken within 24 hours or a negative 48-hour RT-PCR result, and a proof of vaccination of primary doses for non-Hong Kong residents aged 12 or above,” Cebu Pacific said.

    It noted that the test results may also be submitted online through Hong Kong’s health and quarantine information declaration website (https://www.chp.gov.hk/hdf/). Travelers are reminded to keep photos of their test results for 90 days.

    Arriving travelers are also encouraged to take a self-arranged antigen test daily until the fifth day from their arrival.

    Cebu Pacific said that the results of the antigen tests may be reported through the Hong Kong government’s electronic monitoring and surveillance system

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  • Cebu Pacific looking to restore Clark flights

    Cebu Pacific looking to restore Clark flights

    Cebu Pacific is working to restore more of its flights in other air hubs in the Philippines, such as Clark International Airport, the budget carrier’s president told reporters last week.

    “We will be happy to resume flights at Clark and the other destinations we used to fly in,” Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer, said. “Actually, when we said we were back at 100 percent operations, it referred to the seats and not actually to our fleet. From a pacing perspective, we are not there yet. For now, it is a matter of connecting the points and going from there.”

    He continued that on whether there is a possibility of moving some of their flights from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Clark International Airport, he said they are open to that idea.

    “Honestly, we welcome any capacity growth that comes from the market, but I think it should come down to the airlines on where they would want to designate flights to,” the Cebu Pacific president remarked. “We think Clark on its own has a lot of potential as it has around 20 million people in its catchment area, but Clark from Manila is very far as it is around 100 kilometers apart. It will be hard to convince businessmen or some passengers to travel that far to an airport.”

    Lao said that it is very good that the government is trying to improve the airport infrastructure in the Philippines, and said that they are excited about its various developments.

  • Cebu Pacific receives first of 10 expected Airbus NEO deliveries for 2023

    Cebu Pacific receives first of 10 expected Airbus NEO deliveries for 2023

    Cebu Pacific (CEB) received on Jan 1 the first of the 10 expected brand new airbus NEO (New Engine Option) deliveries for the year: three A320neo, four A321neo and four A33neo. It is also the airline’s ninth Airbus 320neo.

    The aircraft used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from the Airbus Hamburg facility in Germany to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

    “This SAF-powered aircraft delivery supports our sustainability strategy in shifting to a more fuel-efficient NEO fleet by 2028. We will continue prioritizing our sustainability journey as we maintain our position as the greenest airline in Asia,” said Alex Reyes, chief strategy officer at Cebu Pacific.

    SAF is a drop-in fuel, which can be an interchangeable replacement for fossil fuels. It does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or engines and has no negative impact on performance or maintenance. Using SAF results in an up to 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions across the SAF lifecycle.

    CEB is the first low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia to incorporate SAF into its operations when it delivered its third A330neo in May 2022.

    CEB’S sustainability goal aligns with global aviation’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The airline has made various investments that enable it to become fuel-efficient in its operations to keep fares affordable for passengers.

    Besides fleet modernization, the airline’s major pillars on its sustainable journey are resource optimization, which includes pushing for fuel efficiency best practices and utilizing SAF by launching green routes by 2025.

    CEB’s fleet is composed of 21 A320ceo, nine A320neo, seven A321ceo, 10 A321neo, four  A330ceo, four A330neo, 14 ATR 72-600, six ATR 72-500 and two ATR Freighters.

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  • Cebu Pacific boosts international flights

    Cebu Pacific boosts international flights

    Cebu Pacific, the country’s leading airline, continues to boost its international network as it adds flights to some of its top ASEAN destinations, namely Bangkok and Bali.

    Beginning Aug. 29, 2022, CEB will fly daily from Manila to Bangkok, coming from its current five-times-a-week frequency. By September, flights from Manila to Bali will also increase from thrice to five times weekly.

    The airline also intends to restart its Manila-Brunei flights by Sept. 1, starting with a twice-weekly frequency.

    “We are happy to keep growing our international network as we see an increasing demand for travel abroad, and as more destinations ease restrictions. It is exciting and encouraging to see more Filipinos travelling confidently in and out the Philippines, that is why we make sure we consistently provide convenient and affordable flight options to enable everyJuan to travel more for less,” said Xander Lao, CEB chief commercial officer.

    Fully vaccinated Filipinos flying to these three destinations are only required to present their proof of complete vaccination as Thailand and Indonesia have already eased its restrictions to easily allow tourists to enter.

    Apart from this, the airline also intends to increase its flights from Cebu to Seoul from twice weekly to a daily service by Sept. 9. On Sept. 23, flights to Nagoya from Manila will be daily from its current five times weekly.

    By Oct. 1, CEB’s Bali flights will increase to a daily service, while its flights to Hanoi and Taipei from Manila will both have one additional flight per week – from thrice to four-times-a-week for Hanoi, and twice to thrice weekly for Taipei.

    Coming home, boosted Filipinos no longer need to take a COVID test pre-departure. For more information, passengers may refer to CEB travel reminders page for the latest updates and complete travel guidelines to their destination.

    CEB continues to offer its guaranteed low fares to stimulate travel across its widest domestic network in the Philippines. It continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, while it operates with a 100 percent fully vaccinated crew, 95 percent of whom have been boosted.

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  • Cebu Pacific retimes, cancels 31 flights Tuesday

    Cebu Pacific retimes, cancels 31 flights Tuesday

    Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) on Tuesday announced the retiming and cancellation of 31 flights, saying these are the affected flights during the memorial rites for former President Fidel Ramos.

    Spokesperson Carmina Romero said a notice to airmen (NOTAM) restricting the movement from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. was issued for a planned showering of petals.

    An advisory posted on its Facebook page showed the carrier has canceled 28 domestic flights, and has retimed three international flights because of the activity.

    “We cannot reschedule all (the flights). We can only consolidate so much,” Romero told the Philippine News Agency as to why CEB had to cancel flights instead of retiming them like these three:

    • 5J273 Hong Kong – Manila New ETD 11:15 a.m. /New ETA 1:25 p.m.
    • 5J188 Manila – Seoul (Incheon) New ETD 3:40 p.m. / New ETA 6:50 p.m. KST
    • 5J189 Seoul (Incheon) – Manila New ETD 9:05 p.m. KST / New ETA 12:05 a.m.

    The 28 canceled flights are:

    • DG6041/6042 Manila – Coron – Manila
    • 5J659/660 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
    • 5J851/852 Manila – Zamboanga – Manila
    • 5J641/642 Manila – Puerto Princesa – Manila
    • 5J483/484 Manila – Bacolod – Manila
    • 5J963/964 Manila – Davao – Manila
    • 5J453/454 Manila – Iloilo – Manila
    • 5J553/554 Manila – Cebu – Manila
    • 5J911/912 and 5J919/920 Manila – Boracay – Manila
    • 5J643/644 Manila – Puerto Princesa – Manila
    • 5J621/622 Manila – Bohol – Manila
    • 5J327/328 Manila – Legazpi – Manila
    • DG6029/6030 Manila – San Jose – Manila

    “As the situation remains fluid, other flight schedules may also be affected,” the advisory read.

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  • Cebu Pacific announces seat sale for 7.7

    Cebu Pacific announces seat sale for 7.7

    Cebu Pacific announced its 7.7 seat sale on Wednesday.

    In an advisory, the budget airline said travelers can avail of a P188 one-way base fare for domestic flights.

    The booking period is from July 7 to July 11, 2022, with a travel period from September 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023.

    Alongside the domestic flight sales, Cebu Pacific is also offering a special international seat sale for as low as P499 one-way base fare for the same travel period.

    “This includes flights to South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, among others,” the airline said.

  • Cebu Pacific resumes flights to Australia

    Cebu Pacific resumes flights to Australia

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific said on Sunday it has expanded its Asia Pacific footprint with the resumption of its flights to Australia.

    With the easing of travel restrictions in the Philippines and Australia, Cebu Pacific has resumed its thrice weekly flights between Manila and Sydney.

    “With this route resumption, we are pleased to fly once again to and from this destination after more than two years. We know that many are excited to visit Sydney’s attractions like the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi beach, Taronga Zoo and many more,” said Xander Lao, Chief Commercial Officer at Cebu Pacific.

    He added: “This also allows Filipinos to reunite with friends and family. We will continue working on boosting seamless connections across our network to address demand.”

    Sydney requires arriving tourists to present printed copies of their Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate upon check-in. Travelers must also complete and submit their Digital Passenger Declaration form at least 72 hours before departure.

    Coming home, boosted Filipinos no longer need to take a Covid test pre-departure.

    As countries continue to reduce Covid-19 measures, Cebu Pacific plans to revitalize its international network. Its domestic network has already been restored to 100 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity.

    Last month, the airline announced that it will ramp up its flights to Singapore from Manila and Cebu.

    In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said it will double the daily frequency of its Manila-Singapore operations starting July 1, while its thrice weekly Cebu-Singapore route will reopen on July 15.

    “We are delighted to continue ramping-up our international flight frequencies, not only in Manila, but also in Cebu. We know majority of the traveling public have been looking forward to travel internationally again, especially since a lot of countries have eased their restrictions. We continue to work towards the expansion of our international network while we maintain operating over 100 percent of our pre-pandemic domestic capacity,” Lao said.

  • Cebu Pacific Resumes Sydney Flights With Its Airbus A330neo

    Cebu Pacific Resumes Sydney Flights With Its Airbus A330neo

    Another international airline has returned to Sydney, with Cebu Pacific resuming its popular flights between Sydney and Manila on July 1. Cebu Pacific had carved out a niche in Australia by offering a low-cost alternative to Qantas and Philippine Airlines before the pandemic but paused its flights in March 2020. Now the airline is back with thrice-weekly return flights.

    The return of Cebu Pacific is another step forward for Sydney Airport, which lost a lot of carriers at the pandemic’s start. Most, but not all, have returned or planned to return and the airport is keen to get as many former airlines back as possible. In 2019, the most recent year of uninterrupted flying for airlines, 776 660 people flew on the Australia – Philippines country pair, with airlines offering 3,429 nonstop flights. Cebu Pacific competed with Qantas and Philippine Airlines on the country pair, with the low-cost carrier snagging 35% of the market in terms of passenger numbers.

    Landing in Sydney on a wild and wet Saturday morning, Cebu Pacific was the last of the three carriers to resume flights between Australia and the Philippines.

    “With this route resumption, we are pleased to fly once again to and from this destination after more than two years,” said Cebu Pacific Chief Commercial Officer Xander Lao. “We know that many are excited to visit Sydney’s attractions. This route also allows Filipinos to reunite with friends and family.”

    It takes around eight and a half hours to cover the 3,879 miles (6,243 kilometers) between the two cities. The flights down to Sydney are overnight services, while flights up to Manila are civilized daytime journeys. At 23:20 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a Cebu Pacific Airbus A330-900 will operate flight 5J39 to Sydney (SYD), arriving at 09:50 the following day. Heading up to Manila (MNL), 5J40 will depart Sydney at 11:20 every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and touch down in Manila at 17:50 on the same day.

    While Cebu Pacific generally undercuts its competitors on this route, you’ll be on the receiving end of an authentic medium-haul low-cost flying experience. Cebu Pacific fits 436 passengers on its A330-900s in a standard 3-3-3 layout across the entire plane. This is an impressive number of passengers, but there won’t be much room to move during your eight-plus hours in the air. Baggage, seat selection, and meals are all add-ons.

    Cebu Pacific’s return to Australia coincides with that country dropping the last of its COVID-related travel restrictions. The longstanding policy of checking vaccination certificates and current status before boarding an Australia-bound flight ends this week. Australia is also axing its previously compulsory but deeply flawed digital passenger declaration app in favor of returning to the low-tech but infinitely preferable hard copy arrival declaration. It marks a return to pre-pandemic arrival processes in Australia.

    Meanwhile, the Philippines is open to all fully vaccinated international tourists as they can present proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination and at least one booster shot. However, there do remain some domestic travel restrictions and guidelines imposed by the national and local governments to help control the spread of COVID-19 within the Philippines.

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  • Cebu Pacific to resume flights to Bali, Hanoi, Sydney

    Cebu Pacific to resume flights to Bali, Hanoi, Sydney

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific recently announced that it is resuming to key international destinations in a bid to boost its frequencies in overseas routes.

    As more countries ease travel restrictions, the airline said it is resuming flights to Bali, Indonesia; Hanoi, Vietnam and Sydney, Australia to bring the number of its international destinations to 16 by the end of June.

    The carrier said it plans to operate weekly flights on the Manila-Hanoi-Manila and Manila-Bali-Manila routes next month.

    In June, it intends to operate thrice weekly flights to and from Sydney.

    From January to April, Cebu Pacific restarted flights to six international routes namely Bangkok, Thailand; Fukuoka, Japan; Jakarta, Indonesia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh also in Vietnam.

    It is also currently operating flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore; Seoul (Incheon), Korea; Nagoya and Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Japan and Guangzhou, China.

    Below appears the flight frequencies of the overseas routes:

    Route Frequency
    Manila – Bangkok – Manila Every Tue / Thu / Sat
    Manila – Dubai – Manila Daily
    Manila – Fukuoka – Manila Every Tue
    Manila – Guangzhou – Manila Every Tue
    Manila – Ho Chi Minh Every Tue
    Ho Chi Minh – Manila Every Wed
    Manila – Hong Kong – Manila Daily
    Manila – Jakarta Every Fri
    Jakarta – Manila Every Sat
    Manila – Kuala Lumpur Every Mon
    Kuala Lumpur – Manila Every Tue
    Manila – Nagoya – Manila Every Tue / Thu / Sat / Sun
    Manila – Osaka – Manila Every Mon / Fri
    Manila – Seoul (Incheon) – Manila Every Thu / Sat
    Manila – Singapore – Manila Daily
    Manila – Tokyo (Narita) – Manila Every Mon / Wed / Fri / Sun
    Manila – Bali – Manila Every Mon / Fri (starting May 2)
    Manila – Hanoi – Manila Every Mon / Fri (starting May 2)
    Manila – Sydney Every Mon / Wed / Fri (starting June 1)
    Sydney – Manila Every Tue / Thu / Sat (starting June 2)

    Early this month, the country started accepting fully vaccinated foreign leisure travelers with the most relaxed entry protocols, including quarantine-free entry. The country also allowed visitors to freely travel to reopened destinations around the country.

    Cebu Pacific’s chief commercial officer Xander Lao said the airline supports the Department of Tourism’s initiatives to restore tourism.

    They invited Filipino and foreign tourists to visit the country.

    “We invite Filipinos and foreign visitors to plan their travels to the Philippines and explore its beauty, or simply visit family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone onboard,” Lao said in a press conference at the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in Pasay City last Thursday.

    The carrier is offering flights to 34 domestic destinations which tourists may also visit. It resumed more direct local flights from major hubs Cebu and Davao, as it restored 100% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity this month.

    “We are happy to keep enabling everyJuan to safely fly across our largest Philippine network. We are hopeful we can continue contributing to the economic and tourism agenda in and out of the Philippines,” Lao said.

    The budget carrier said it would continue to offer low fares to help the COVID-19 pandemic-hit travel and tourism industry recover while maintaining the implementation of health and safety protocols.

    The airline said it employs 100% fully vaccinated crew with 90% of them already boosted.

    Meanwhile, Lao also congratulated the DOT for hosting the 21st edition of the WTTC Global Summit. It was staged at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City from April 20 to 22, 2022.

    WTTC also commended the country for hosting the tourism event that signified the recovery of international travel.

  • Cebu Pacific, STB renew partnership

    Cebu Pacific, STB renew partnership

    Cebu Pacific (CEB) has renewed its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which will facilitate the travel of Filipinos to the Lion City.

    Singapore recently reopened its borders for all fully vaccinated Filipinos, making it easier for tourists to enjoy a convenient, quarantine-free vacation. Since April 1, 2022, vaccinated travelers to Singapore enjoy a simplified travel process, requiring only proof of vaccination, a pre-departure Covid-19 test, and an online Singapore Arrival Card.

    “STB is excited to collaborate with CEB and would like to thank them for this opportunity to bring more visitors from the Philippines to Singapore. Through this partnership, Filipino travelers can look forward to attractive promotions and campaigns to warmly welcome them back to Singapore,” said Juliana Kua, Assistant Chief Executive for International Group, Singapore Tourism Board.

    “We are very happy to firm up our collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board following the easing of travel restrictions in and out the Philippines. We believe this partnership is very timely as it’ll surely contribute to the recovery of both the industry, as well as our respective countries,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience at Cebu Pacific.

    Meanwhile, CEB has achieved a 7-star safety rating from airlineratings.com for its Covid-19 compliance. It continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety as it endeavors to restore the public’s trust and confidence in air travel.

  • Cebu Pacific Equips Airbus A330neo fleet with SITA Swiftbroadband Cockpit Connectivity

    Cebu Pacific Equips Airbus A330neo fleet with SITA Swiftbroadband Cockpit Connectivity

    Cebu Pacific Air, the Manila, Philippines-based low cost airline, will equip its fleet of Airbus A330neo aircraft with an upgraded form of SITA for Aircraft’s AIRCOM cockpit connectivity technology with Swiftbroadband-Safety (SB-S).

    The AIRCOM connectivity is being factory-installed on a fleet of 16 new A330neos from an Airbus order first placed by Cebu Pacific in 2019, that now also includes a Flight Hour Services (FHS) materials management contract signed by the two companies during the 2022 Singapore Air Show last month. SITA first signed a global connectivity services distribution agreement with Inmarsat in 2017 to start leveraging Swiftbroadband-Safety within its suite of cockpit communication applications that it now brands as AIRCOM Cockpit Services.

    SB-S is Inmarsat’s Aircraft Communication, Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) over Internet Protocol (IP) networking technology that permits previous aircraft data transmissions solely done over the legacy ACARS network to be done faster and cheaper using IP as a gateway for air-to-ground and aircraft-to-controller data transmissions and messaging.

    Sumesh Patel, President of Asia Pacific, SITA, said in a statement that “Cebu Pacific is the first airline to take advantage of these capabilities to boost safety and deliver greater operational efficiencies on their new fleet.”

    Three specific connection types are provided over SB-S, including character-based ACARS data services for Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) and Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). ADS-C, CPDLC, real-time prison reporting, and flight data streaming along with aircraft performance data downloads can also be provided over the SB-S prioritized IP channel. Additionally, the regular IP channel can be used as a voice and data communication channel for Airline Administrative Control (AAC) and Airline Operations Center (AOC) applications.

    According to SITA, some of the specific applications Cebu Pacific can use on AIRCOM with SB-S that are not enabled without Swiftbroadband include real-time updates for flight optimization tools and graphical weather applications.

    The SITA cockpit connectivity agreement for Cebu Pacific comes following the airline’s announcement earlier this month that it will begin expanding its domestic network, including re-starting flights to Siargao, Surigao, and Calbayog after closing those and many other routes due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

    Cebu Pacific received its first A330neo in December and now has two of the 459-seat aircraft in its fleet. Mike Szucs, Chief Executive Adviser at Cebu Pacific, expects every Airbus model aircraft in its fleet to feature the new engine option variant by 2027.

    “We turned to SITA given their expertise in the aircraft domain to help us navigate the challenges and complexities of the aircraft communications landscape, and prepare us for that future,” Javier Massot, Chief Operations Adviser, Cebu Pacific Air, said in a statement. “Having high-speed connectivity and greater capacity is essential to access more advanced digital applications that support decision-making onboard. It will enable our pilots and operational staff to access information in real-time and deliver a better service for our passengers.”