Many people recognize Cebu Pacific as the operator of brand new and modern Airbus aircraft. Since 2005, they have only purchased brand new aircraft. Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, did not begin in this manner right away. They used to buy old and retired aircraft from other airlines. It’s time to look back at the previous fleet of Cebu Pacific.
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
Cebu Pacific first flew in 1996, with a fleet of used McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series 30 planes. These aircraft had frames built in the late 1960s to late 1970s that had gone through various airlines such as Air Canada, Garuda Indonesia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, US Airways, and even Trans World Airways (TWA) to name a few. Eight of the 19 DC-9-30 frames were leased. Cebu Pacific operated the type of aircraft on the airline’s domestic routes, but some were also used to fly between Manila and Hong Kong when Cebu Pacific was granted permission to fly international routes.
Some of these DC-9s even had unique liveries such as “Cebu City,” “Philippine Centennial,” “City of Davao,” and “Sun, Sand, and Sea.”
Cebu Pacific began retiring the DC-9s in 2005, replacing them with brand new Airbus A319-100 and A320-200 aircraft. In July 2006, all DC-9s were retired.
Boeing 757-200
Cebu Pacific began expanding its network coverage to include international destinations in 2001. Cebu Pacific purchased used Boeing 757-200 aircraft to compete with Philippine Airlines. These aircraft were used to fly to international destinations such as Hong Kong, Seoul, and Singapore. Cebu Pacific acquired two more B757 frames in 2002, one of which was leased. They all came from different operators. Before joining Cebu Pacific, RP-C2716 was operated by Iberia.
Until it was surpassed by the Airbus A321LR, the Boeing 757-200 had the longest range of any narrowbody aircraft, with a range of 7,222 km and was powered by either Rolls-Royce RB211 or Pratt & Whitney PW2000 turbofans.
Cebu Pacific began retiring their B757s in 2006, and were replaced by the Airbus A320-200.
Airbus A319-100
Cebu Pacific began operating as a full-fledged low-cost airline in 2005, after embarking on a massive refleeting program. They then began receiving ten brand-new Airbus A319-100s and two A320-200s. This served as a wake-up call for Philippine Airlines, which was operating late-80s and early-90s Boeing 737 aircraft at the time.
Cebu Pacific, which was considering the t-tail Boeing 717 as a DC-9 replacement, lost the contract to Airbus. The A319 has enabled Cebu Pacific to operate more fuel-efficient aircraft and carry more passengers, allowing the airline to offer lower fares, including their iconic “Piso fare.”
The A319s used by the airlines were outfitted with 156 all-economy seats and were powered by CFM56 turbofan engines. Cebu Pacific used the plane for both domestic and international flights.
After Allegiant Air purchased all ten planes, the airline began retiring them in 2015. Cebu Pacific’s last Airbus A319-100 was retired in April 2018.
The A320neos have replaced the A319s in the Cebu Pacific fleet.
It’s amazing to see how far Cebu Pacific has come, from purchasing used aircraft from other airlines to selling their used aircraft to other airlines. They intend to operate an all-Airbus NEO fleet of the A330-900neo, A321-271neo, and A320-271neo by 2027.
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