Cebu Pacific sees return to pre-pandemic domestic capacity by next month

BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific, which celebrated its 26th anniversary on Tuesday, said it intends to restore more than 100% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity in April.

“Today, Cebu Pacific is operating at 96% of its pre-pandemic capacity,” Cebu Pacific President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Y. Gokongwei told reporters.

“We look forward to restoring [over] 100% capacity by next month,” he added.

The budget carrier saw a 200% increase in its average daily flights for both domestic and international combined, from about 100 flights per day in 2020, or before the pandemic, to about 300 at present.

It also said that flights from Manila to major local destinations, such as Boracay and Cebu, “have exceeded” the 2019 flight frequencies.

“March has always been a special month because we celebrate the anniversary when my father decided to make travel easy. Our 26th year has been made more exceptional today because we recognized our 200th million passengers, which signals that the travel industry is well on its way to recovery,” Mr. Gokongwei said.

“The past two years has been challenging, but we see the easing of restrictions here and abroad,” he also noted.

The airline’s domestic network currently covers 33 destinations, on top of its 14 international destinations.

“The month-long #CEBSuperSeatFest is still ongoing as part of the anniversary month celebration,” it noted.

The budget carrier recently reported a net loss of P24.9 billion for 2021, widening from a loss of P22.2 billion a year earlier. It generated P15.7 billion in revenues in 2021, 30% below the 2020 figure.

The airline said the decline in revenues was largely due to a 50% drop in passenger revenue to P6.3 billion from P12.6 billion in 2020. — Arjay L. Balinbin