Philippines eyes air talks with Japan, India, Thailand, US
The Philippines is aiming for bilateral air talks with Japan, India, Thailand and the United States, according to a government official.
Carmelo Arcilla, executive director of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), said they were hoping that the planned discussions would “happen this year.”
On Friday, the Philippine government is also set to have air talks with Australia as Manila seeks to double the current seat allocation to 60,000 per week.
Pushing for these discussions of increasing air agreements and opening up new destinations could support rising tourist activities.
Arcilla bared all this on the sidelines of AirAsia Philippines’ event in Pasay City this week.
Chester Voo, the deputy chief executive officer of the airline’s holding company AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd., also shared that the company is looking at the possibility of launching flights between Manila and India.
“There’s 1.4 billion people in India. The Indian [travelers] are really driving [global] tourism,” he said.
“India is a great market … What AirAsia can do is we will market Philippine tourism to benefit the people of the Philippines and the economy,” Voo added.
The subsidiary of Malaysian-based Capital A Berhad is in growth mode with 10 to 20 more aircraft slated for delivery over the next five years.
This, as the group’s chief executive officer Tony Fernandes hinted at acquiring 150 additional aircraft to boost its network.
Voo, however, said that details on this plan are yet to be finalized.
Just last week, AirAsia purchased 50 A321XLR aircraft from airplane manufacturer giant Airbus for $12.25 billion.
Getting new-generation aircraft will help the company save about 30 percent of operational costs, according to Voo.
“The strategy of the group is this. To have aircraft that can fly at the best cost … to keep our price competitive,” he said.
At present, AirAsia Philippines operates 15 aircraft, but it is eyeing to end the year with 21.
It targets to end the year with passenger volume reaching six million to seven million.
