Cebu Pacific gets 17th aircraft delivery

Cebu Pacific now has 91 aircraft in its commercial fleet after receiving its 17th and final delivery this year as the budget carrier works to boost its operational capacity amid a tourism boom.

The Gokongwei-led airline said in a statement on Friday that it received the 236-seater A321neo (new engine option) on Tuesday, Dec. 24.

Neo aircraft are considered fuel-efficient, as these burn 15 percent less fuel per flight and produce less noise compared to older models.

Cebu Pacific aims to have an all-neo fleet by 2027.

“The arrival of this new aircraft reinforces our readiness to meet the rising travel demand and our commitment to enhancing connectivity for our passengers in 2025 and beyond,” Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao said.

The airline currently has 10 Airbus 330s, 40 Airbus 320s, 26 Airbus 321s, and 15 ATR turboprop aircraft in its fleet, all of which are meant to support flights in over 35 domestic and 24 international destinations.

Cebu Pacific finalized in September a P1.4-trillion order—the largest such deal in Philippine aviation history—with European plane maker Airbus for 152 planes.

It will start taking deliveries of the units by 2029.

The company has since been launching new routes locally and abroad in anticipation of a tourism boom postpandemic.

In October, Cebu Pacific flew its first Manila-Chiang Mai flight, following the launch of its Manila-Don Mueang, Cebu-Don Mueang, Osaka, Masbate and San Vicente routes earlier this year.