The Philippines' largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) ranked 15th in Airline Business Magazine's list of the world's top 75 low-cost carriers (LCC) based on 2011 passenger numbers.
Cebu Pacific also ranked 15th in 2010.
Cebu Pacific bested other LCCs in Asia such s India's Spicejet (no. 19), China's Spring Airlines (no. 23), Thai Air Asia (no. 24), Tiger Airways (no. 29) and Indonesia Air Asia (no. 33). The world's three largest LCCs are USA's Southwest, Ireleand RyanAir and UK's EasyJet.
In its special report on LCCs worldwide, passenger traffic among the leading 75 LCCs in 2011 jumped by nearly 12% to 727 million passengers. LCC passengers are highest in Europe with 37.1%, while North America (29.5%) and Asia-Pacific (21.6%) come in at 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Load factors, which refer to how full planes are, among more than 50 reporting carriers in 2011 were at 81%. Cebu Pacific posted a load factor of 86.3% in 2011.
"Cebu Pacific is the only Philippine carrier to make the list, which is a testament to our growing route network and number of passengers served. We will continue to expand our services for the benefit of more travelers, especially with our planned long-haul operations in 2013," said Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.
Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 22 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. It will also lease up to 8 Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets beyond the range of Cebu Pacific's current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.
"With over 720 million LCC passengers worldwide, Cebu Pacific will continue to differentiate itself with its fun culture and trademark low fares to all the destinations we serve. We look forward to increasing the LCC market in the Philippines and beyond, enabling everyone to fly," she added.
Cebu Pacific currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 20 Airbus A320, and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 38 aircraft - with an average age of 3.6 years - is one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world. It flies to 32 Philippine destinations including Boracay, Coron, Cebu, Palawan and Siargao, and 19 international destinations: Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon, Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei or Xiamen.
For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www.cebupacificair.com or call the reservation hotlines (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888. The latest seat sales can also be found on Cebu Pacific's official Twitter and Facebook page.
- https://www.affordablecebu.com/
