AirAsia says more international flights from Philippines
AirAsia has pledged to increase its number of international direct flights from the Philippines. The company remains highly confident in the country’s appeal to global travelers. Air Asia is a well known Malaysian budget airline company.
Tan Sri Tony Fernandes sees the Philippines as a crucial destination for the airline’s expansion in Southeast Asia (ASEAN). As well as beyond. Fernandes has outlined growth expectations for AirAsia Philippines. These include plans to strengthen its hubs and improve services to meet the rising demand for travel in the Asia-Pacific region. Tony Fernades is the Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia’s parent company, Capital A.
Fernandes disclosed that additional aircraft are in the pipeline to bolster the fleet expansions for AirAsia Aviation. The company has an order book of over 400 planes. Currently, five A321s are scheduled to begin next year. Fernandes also mentioned the possibility of leasing and acquiring new aircraft. The purpose of this is to support AirAsia Philippines’ goal of doubling its current fleet of 16 aircraft by 2024 and expanding its reach and capacity with wide-body planes.
AirAsia Philippines has experienced positive growth in recent months, with a load factor of 91 percent in May. The budget airline currently operates 11 domestic and 13 international routes. Subsequently, Airsia plans to expand its existing hubs in Cebu, Clark, and Kalibo by adding more regional routes to Japan, Korea, and China.
To support its expanding business demand, AirAsia Philippines is increasing its workforce. In the first five months of the year, the airline added 318 new employees. It is also planning a two-day cabin crew recruitment event on June 8-9.
Fernandes expressed confidence in the growth of Philippine tourism post-pandemic, emphasizing AirAsia’s commitment to bringing tourists to the country. He also highlighted the strong rebound of the aviation sector, driven by leisure travel and high ticket sales. Fernandes believes that people prioritize travel spending, which will further fuel the demand for travel.
In its pursuit of growth, AirAsia will continue to introduce more routes for the international market while providing world-class service with the lowest fares available.
Capital A, AirAsia Philippines’ parent company, reported a revenue of RM2.5 billion or $546 million in Q1 2023. The company now has 157 aircraft flying to 165 destinations in 25 countries, with its air logistics provider delivering a total of 5.7 million shipments in the same quarter. The monthly active users of the Superapp have also increased to 12.9 million.
