MANILA, Philippines — AirAsia Philippines carried more passengers in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter as it leveraged on a strong rebound in travel demand.
In its first quarter operating statistics report, the AirAsia Group said it posted operating improvements in March for all entities in comparison to February as countries worldwide focused on accelerating vaccination programs in efforts to reach herd immunity as soon as possible.
AirAsia Philippines, for its part, carried a total of 168,527 passengers in the first quarter, up 43 percent from a year earlier.
The AirAsia Group said the higher number of passengers carried positively resulted in an increase in the Philippine carrier’s load factor of 10 percentage points to 74 percent.
“A month-on-month breakdown showed that AirAsia Philippines grew its number of passengers by 57 percent despite only increasing 30 percent in operating capacity in March 2021 compared to February 2021,” the AirAsia Group said, adding that “this resulted in a commendable 81 percent load factor in March 2021.”
On a year-on-year basis, however, the number of passengers carried by AirAsia Philippines in the first quarter was 91 percent lower than the 1.79 million passengers carried in the same period in 2020.
“AirAsia expects to see solid domestic demand in key ASEAN markets in the next few quarters as the majority of the population receives their vaccinations and due to strong pent up demand,” the group said.
AirAsia Philippines ended the first quarter with a fleet of 24 aircraft.
Meanwhile, AirAsia has recently sealed a new strategic partnership with Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) to allow for digital purchasing and delivery of popular international lifestyle products through airasia Shop.
The airasia Shop, which was launched in the country last January, offers value-for-money travel retail shopping, allowing customers to purchase a wide range of quality authentic products from categories such as beauty, fashion, electronics & gadgets, health & wellness, kids products, and exclusive AirAsia merchandise.
The items are conveniently delivered right to the doors through AirAsia’s logistics venture, Teleport.
“Our partnership with RCBC – the best digital bank in the Philippines – strengthens our direction of fully automating the way we do business in the country. RCBC has a renowned track record of maintaining inclusive, convenient and accessible digital banking which is especially important during these times of the COVID pandemic,” AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said.
“We at AirAsia share the same business plan by continuously evolving to best meet the needs of our customers. Through our digital transformation strategy and strategic partnerships, including with local banks, we expect to enhance at-home shopping experiences and solidify our position as a key player in the e-commerce industry,” Dailisan said.