CEB To Mount More Flights

. Cebu Pacific (CEB) will mount more flights to local destinations other carriers plan to abandon later this month to fill the void and prevent disruptions in travel connectivity within the country, the airline said in a statement yesterday. CEB has not disclosed the specific destinations it will cover and the carriers it will replace as of press time. However, the airline is open to adding flights or exploring more route opportunities to and from Butuan, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Tacloban and Zamboanga. It has already announced more flights out of Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban and Zamboanga, as part of the 10 domestic routes CEB is launching in the 2nd half of 2012. These new routes are Cagayan de Oro to Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa to Iloilo and to Davao, and Tacloban to Iloilo. ''We have enough planes and more are coming this year and in the next few years to cover key local destinations and mount additional flights,'' according to Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and distribution. ''CEB's domestic passengers grew by 18% in the 1st half of 2012, compared to the same period last year. Through CEB's 60 domestic routes and constant seat sales, local and foreign travellers can take advantage of CEB's accessible options to travel to different parts of the country, via our hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark, Davao, Iloilo and Kalibo,'' she explained. In the 1st half of 2012, CEB grew its Cebu-Mindanao passenger traffic by 36%, and its Cebu-Visayas passenger traffic by 53%. CEB's Luzon-Cebu traffic also grew by 49%, while its Luzon-Manila traffic grew by 27%, she said, comparing figures from the same period last year. CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 21 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 38 aircraft - with an average age of 3.6 years - is the largest aircraft fleet in the Philippines. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 21 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. It is slated to begin long-haul services in the 3rd quarter of 2013. .