Cebu Pacific takes in 1st Airbus A320neo from Tianjin facility

TIANJIN, China — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has accepted delivery of its first A320neo (new engine option) aircraft assembled from Airbus’ facility here, which is the plane maker’s closest facility to the Philippines. From this facility, Cebu Pacific is expecting at least three more aircraft deliveries.

It also marked Cebu Pacific’s eighth aircraft delivery for 2023. The airline is accepting a total of 15 aircraft delivery for this year. It has ordered 10 brand-new Airbus NEO aircraft in 2023 to support its objective to transition to a more fuel-efficient, all-NEO fleet by 2028. On top of this, the airline is also receiving five additional aircraft via long-term lease.

The A320neo will operate using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with a 41 percent blend on its flight from Tianjin to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, marking a major milestone for Cebu Pacific’s sustainable aviation initiatives.

The A320neo delivery from Tianjin is under a 12-year lease arrangement with Clover Aviation Capital, the new leasing partner of Cebu Pacific.

Michael Szucs, CEO of Cebu Pacific, said with the expected delivery of additional aircraft, the airline would be able to ramp up capacity by the end of this year and resolve some of its problems resulting from the reduction of its operating fleet from 71 to 62 this year from various incidents that incapacitated nine of its fleet.

Among the incidents that has decreased the capacity of the Gokongwei-owned airline include the rehabilitation of its neo engines, delivery delays by Airbus itself due to supply chain constraints, and the longer time it takes to return to service its affected planes.

With its recent acquisition, Szucs said  Cebu Pacific will be able to resume service to Beijing, a move that Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime Flor Cruz welcomed as China prepares to finally resume air travel following the pandemic. Cruz noted that China’s domestic tourism has already picked up while international travel is taking a longer time to resume.

The Cebu Pacific executive acknowledged that while international travel by the China market has not yet recovered to its pre-pandemic level, the China market is part of the airline’s long-term strategy for growth.

Cebu Pacific chief strategy office Alex Reyes added that prior to the pandemic, the airline flew to at least five cities in China. Reyes said they are also trying to review some of the friction affecting travel to the Philippines as a visa is still required for Chinese travelers. Cebu Pacific, he said, has made representation with the Philippine government to at least provide e-visas if possible.

Szucs said Cebu Pacific is making sure to deploy more standby aircraft to address the reduction of the airlines’ lack of capacity, which has had the unfortunate effect of adversely affecting its passengers. He pointed out that unusual mysterious events has damaged some of its aircraft and the increasing global climate incidents has also increased incidents of red lightning alerts (RLA), resulting in more criticism from the public even though such incidents are weather related and not within the control of the airline.

Szucs, however, ruled out manpower constraints as among the factors affecting the airlines’ reduced capacity, pointing out that Cebu Pacific actually has enough pilots and cabin crew to man its fleet.