Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is set to take in a record 21 aircraft for the year, as it builds up its fleet to improve operational efficiency and minimize flight interruptions.

According to Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer Alex Reyes, the airline has increased its aircraft deliveries to 21, from an initial plan of 15 for 2023 to serve the resurgent demand for air travel.

Cebu Pacific is expanding its fleet in the short term to fill in the gap left behind by some planes that were grounded for various reasons, mainly the shortage in aircraft parts and jet engines.

As of June, Cebu Pacific has parked at least six aircraft pending the delivery of new components. With this, the airline has decreased its scheduled flights until September due to the lack of planes to serve them.

Last Thursday, Cebu Pacific received its ninth aircraft addition for the year, an Airbus A321neo, that was flown from Hamburg, Germany using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It was the second jet added by the airline to its fleet in a span of less than 30 days.

In June, the carrier accepted an A320neo from Tianjin, China, that was also powered by SAF.

Reyes said 17 of the 21 aircraft to be received this year come from the Airbus neo line, as Cebu Pacific plans to own an all-neo fleet by 2028 to cut fuel consumption and trim carbon footprint.

In the long run, Cebu Pacific will procure 25,000 tons of SAF from Shell Aviation between 2026 and 2031, as SAF reduces up to 80 percent in carbon emissions across the fuel's life cycle.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao told The STAR that the airline is eyeing to return to Beijing around winter season, which usually starts in November for China. The airline is also studying its prospects in Shenzhen.

Cebu Pacific wants to raise weekly flights to its current network in China. At present, the carrier flies once a week to Guangzhou, twice a week to Shanghai and twice a week as well to Xiamen.

'Beijing will come in winter if the China demand becomes better. We have a lot of destinations in China that we have yet to return to. In Shenzhen, for example, we are not even operating there yet,' Lao said.

For 2023, Cebu Pacific hopes to return to profitability by breaching its passenger record of 22.48 million prior to the pandemic in 2019.

Copyright © 2022 PhilSTAR Daily, Inc Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).