Cebu Pacific expands Clark hub

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has scaled up its flight network at the Clark International Airport to become the largest airline servicing travelers from the northern and central parts of Luzon.

Cebu Pacific yesterday announced that it wouldl fly a total of 13 domestic and international routes to and from Clark, making it the airline with the widest network of flights in the airport.

Likewise, Cebu Pacific will allocate three new Airbus aircraft to Clark to support the expansion of its flights there.

By March, Cebu Pacific will fly seven times a week to Cebu from Clark. Further, it will launch Clark flights to Caticlan, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod and General Santos City in April; to Cagayan de Oro in May; and to Puerto Princesa in June.

Likewise, the Gokongwei-led carrier will deploy Clark trips to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Macau in April. To top it off, the airline will activate a Clark to Narita route in May with the goal of strengthening its flight network to East Asia in the pandemic aftermath.

Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao said the airline would hire at least 140 aviation staff to support the looming expansion of its Clark hub. However, Lao said that this employment would generate an additional 4,000 jobs mainly around Central Luzon, citing a report from the International Air Transport Association that for every job created in the aviation industry, another 29 is made in the travel sector.

“We are excited to reestablish our presence in such an important gateway that will boost both the accessibility and connectivity for the traveling public,” Lao said.

“Furthermore, it allows us to boost our third operating hub in the Philippines. This will then help generate economic opportunities to support the country’s growth agenda,” he added.

For the year, Cebu Pacific plans to spend about P42 billion for its capital expenditures, the bulk of which would be used to take in 10 new Airbus NEO aircraft. From this, The STAR learned that two A320neo and one A330ceo would be leased to Clark for the expanded routes. – Elijah Felice Rosales