ZAMBOANGA CITY, 27 July 2006 — Cebu Pacific yesterday announced that it will fly a brand new $60-million Airbus A319 to Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines as part of a two-year refleeting program.
Charles Lim, Cebu Pacific’s consultant for corporate communications, said the 150-seater aircraft will service the Manila-Zamboanga route daily and consequently the Zamboanga-Cebu route also beginning today.
“We are proud to announce that this will be the first time Cebu Pacific will fly its brand new Airbus A319 to Zamboanga City . We will help promote tourism in this beautiful region,” Lim said at a news conference in the city.
Cebu Pacific earlier launched its maiden flight from Manila to Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province known for its pristine beaches and historic places. The three-times-a-week flight also use an Airbus A319.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific marketing director, said: “The maiden flight to Zamboanga City is a historic event because it marks the start of its all Airbus fleet. We are committed to the country’s tourism agenda.”
She said Cebu Pacific has the youngest fleet in the Philippines and one of the youngest also in Asia with a fleet age of less than 7 months. The airline currently operates 10 brand new Airbus aircraft and awaits the delivery of four more until February to complete its two-year re-fleeting program.
Cebu Pacific’s expansion, she said, is also underway and recently launched two new destinations, Laoag in Ilocos Norte province in the northern Philippines and Dipolog in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte. It will also start flying to Legaspi in the Bicol region on Aug. 17 and Singapore on Aug. 31.
Cebu Pacific also has flights in key Visayan cities of Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Tacloban and Tagbilaran in the central Philippines and Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, and Davao in Mindanao.
The 11-year old airline also flies to Hong Kong and Seoul in South Korea. It introduced travelers to on-time service, e-ticketing, and on-line booking, setting the standards for airline innovation in the local aviation industry.
