Cebu Pacific have finalised their order with Airbus, with the airline choosing to pick up new aircraft.
The firm order will consist of Airbus 70 A321neo aircraft, finalising a Memorandum of Understanding announced by the airline in July.
The purchase agreement was signed in Manila by Mike Szucs, CEO of Cebu Pacific and Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus.
It expected they will operate in a 236 all-economy configuration
Cebu Pacific operates 61 A320 Family aircraft on its regional network, split across the Airbus A320, Airbus A321, Airbus A320neo and Airbus A321neo. In addition, it flies nine A330-900neo widebodies on high-density routes in the region, as well as to destinations in the Middle East.
Following the latest order, the airline’s backlog with Airbus now stands at 94 A320neo Family aircraft and seven A330neo.
In Quotes
Mike Szucs CEO of Cebu Pacific said:
“The selection of Airbus A321neo underscores our focus on operational efficiency, sustainability, and innovation, ensuring that we continue to deliver the highest standards of service while significantly reducing our carbon footprint. This milestone signals our ongoing dedication to expanding air travel accessibility and affordability, while supporting the Philippine’s broader economic growth and connectivity goals.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales Commeical Aircraft added
“The A320 Family has supported Cebu Pacific’s domestic and short-haul international network growth over the last two decades. We’re grateful to the airline for its continued endorsement of our best selling single-aisle product line. The A321neo is highly regarded for its unparalleled economics, performance and fuel efficiency. We’re confident that these additional A321neo aircraft will contribute strongly to the all-Airbus operator’s next phase of expansion as one of Asia-Pacific’s leading low cost carriers.”
Keeping the fleet regional for now.
With another 70 aircraft, this should supply both replacements for existing fleet aircraft and expand its sphere of operations.
For now, the airline has chosen not to go for the longer-range variants of the Airbus A320neo family (the Airbus A321LR and Airbus A321XLR). Whilst they may offer more range, Cebu Pacific will need to model that against their operations, how far the aircraft can go – given that they operate in all-economy configurations – and which routes could benefit from the use of such aircraft.
And those sorts of studies take time, money and research – as well as mapping out the passenger flows.
For now, regional and short-haul expansion appears to be on the cards for the airline.
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