Things are looking up for Cebu Pacific in 2023! The airline has set a goal of becoming an all-Airbus NEO operator by 2028, and things appear to be on track. In a recent press conference, the airline confirmed that it will receive up to 11 new planes in 2023.
Four A330-900neos, four A321neos, and three A320neos are among the new planes. Once these planes arrive, Cebu Pacific’s total number of Airbus NEO planes will be eight A330-900neo, fourteen A321neo, and eleven A320neo by the end of 2023.
These planes will take the place of three A330-300s, seven A321-200 (CEO), and nineteen A320-200s (ceo). Cebu Pacific has an outstanding order of 46 planes, including 10 A321XLRs, as of this writing.
“We are pretty much expecting a delivery every month in 2023,” said Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific chief commercial officer.
While these planes will be replacing older ones, capacity will undoubtedly increase because the new NEO planes have a higher passenger payload than the older planes in the Cebu Pacific fleet. To compare, the A330neo has 459 seats, while the older A330ceo has 436. The A321neo has 236 seats, while the A321ceo only has 230. The A320neo has 188 seats, while the older A320neo has 180.
These extra seats will allow for more passengers to be accommodated. Additionally, increased capacity may necessitate the addition of more flight attendants.
New planes to be used for reopened routes and routes of higher capacity
Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, has stated that it will prioritize reopening routes over adding new destinations. In fact, the new planes will be used to reopen routes such as Melbourne, Australia, and, of course, China. While China’s borders remain closed, airlines are hopeful that they will reopen in 2023, as other Asian neighbors have already eased entry restrictions.
Cebu Pacific has also restored 92% of its total capacity prior to the pandemic. The airline also operates 355 flights per day on average. They have also outperformed their pre-pandemic domestic capacity.
Will Cebu Pacific open more long haul routes in the future?
While it has been confirmed that the airline will first focus on regional routes and a few long-haul destinations such as Dubai and Sydney, the additional planes should allow the airline to reopen Melbourne. Personally, I hope they reinstate more flights to the Gulf region, particularly Doha, Riyadh, and Kuwait, where there is a high concentration of OFWs.
Way back, Cebu Pacific had flights to Doha Qatar, Riyadh, Dammam, and Kuwait.
Flights to the United States’ mainland, on the other hand, are out of the question. To begin with, the Cebu Pacific A330neo’s 459-seat capacity will prevent the aircraft from operating direct Manila-Los Angeles flights due to weight. The more passengers an aircraft carries, the less range it has.
Cebu Pacific has previously stated that it will focus solely on regional flights and a few long-haul flights. The A330neo is designed to increase capacity without adding additional gates or frequencies at congested airports.
2023 will definitely be a more exciting year for Philippine aviation!
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
