AirAsia Philippines reopens its Cebu hub after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, signalling the return of AirAsia’s 56 weekly flights to various destinations originating from Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
The airlines is also expanding its route network in the Queen City of the South, by resuming and adding more flights to its domestic destinations including Caticlan (Boracay), Davao, Cagayan De Oro and Puerto Princesa, as well as international destinations including Seoul (Incheon) and Kuala Lumpur due to a strong rebound in air travel revival.
AirAsia: Improving connectivity
AirAsia Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ricky Isla, assured in a statement that the airline is committed to becoming a major contributor to the recovery of Cebu’s tourism industry.
“The reopening of our Cebu hub signifies AirAsia’s commitment to improving connectivity and providing best options among guests, not only for flights but also with our partner hotels, tour providers and merchants, all present in our digital, travel and lifestyle platform – Air Asia Super App.”
Passengers departing via Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 can fly to Boracay seven times a week with the airline’s Z2 550, four times a week to Cagayan De Oro on the Z2 512, four times a week to Davao with the Z2 521, and three times a week to Incheon, all starting 16 August 2022.
The flight operating to Puerto Princesa four times a week will begin on 2 September, while the flights to Kuala Lumpur that are set to operate three times a week will commence on 21 September.
Strategically situated at the centre of the archipelago, Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the second largest and busiest gateway to the different tourism destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao. Cebu is an important location that now connects to 23 domestic destinations with 502 flights weekly and 11 international destinations with 60 weekly flights.
The passenger experience and facilitation
CEO Ricky Isla is confident that the increase in flight frequency strategically positions the airline as a key driver in boosting economic activities, especially in the various provinces which need a springboard to speed up the recovery phase. Its passengers can count on the airline’s promises of solid track record in safety, best value for money deals and world’s best service each time they fly.
To entice more guests to take advantage of the new destinations, “the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline” is also offering ‘super low fares’ this August, for travels between 1 August 2022 to 23 March 2023 on certain routes. A one-way fare is set to start from PHP88.
Passengers are also allowed to check-in more than one baggage piece for as long as it is within the purchased weight limit which can be pre-booked via the airline’s Super App from as low as PHP450.
Meanwhile, Cebu bound guests flying from Manila are advised to allow ample travel time on their way to NAIA Domestic Terminal 4, as traffic build up is expected during rush hour. Likewise, guests are reminded of the resumption of the number coding scheme within Metro Manila which is aimed for traffic decongestion.
The airline will add 90-100 more flights per week on both International and domestic routes, originating from Cebu province by December 2022.
The ‘World’s Best Low-Cost Airline’ which was recently recognised as among 2022’s top 10 safest airlines in the world by Airlineratings.com with 7/7 Safety and COVID-19 star ratings, assures its guests of the highest standards in safety compliance in all of its flights.
In Quarter 2 2022, the total operating aircraft for AirAsia Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines were 45, 12 and eight, respectively, with AirAsia Philippines posting the highest load factor among the group’s airlines at 93%, which grew by 15 percentage points Year-over-year (YoY). The number of passengers carried increased by 480% YoY, and capacity expanded by 388% YoY.
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