The Philippines and the rest of the Asia Pacific region’s aviation market is quickly recovering from the impact of the global pandemic, according to industry experts.
Yuli Thompson, area manager for Southeast Asia International Air Transport Association (IATA), said passenger traffic trend for international flights in the Philippines were logged at 75 percent of 2019 levels as of June 2023.
As for Asia Pacific passenger forecast, Yuli adds that domestic travel should fully recover this year while international travel should get there sometime in 2026. Further, Asia Pacific is seen to lead in traffic growth in the next 20 years.
Overcoming current challenges and riding on the momentum and meeting full recovery will require strong interventions from all players in the aviation sector, however.
Lei Apostol, Cebu Pacific vice president for customer service operations, is looking to encourage travel by ensuring positive customer experience, which they aim to optimize across their operations.
“Overcoming industry complexities and challenges while maximizing growth opportunities is achievable by looking at existing technology, keeping the passenger at the heart of what we do, and communicating to our passengers at every step of their journey,” Apostol said at the 2023 Aviation Summit.
Michael Szucs, Cebu Pacific chief executive, also emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure, saying “Philippine carriers will need to quadruple in size to cater to the growing demand”.
He said the growing middle class in the country will further boost the country’s aviation industry in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the agency’s goal to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) under a public-private partnership agreement, presents a “landmark opportunity for economic growth, improved infrastructure, and a world-class travel experience.”
“We are also developing regional airports, such as the unsolicited proposals for the operations and maintenance of the Bicol International Airport, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, and Laguindingan Airport,” said Bautista.
He highlighted the agency’s support of various aviation stakeholders as the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on the use of sustainable aviation fuel or SAF by 2025.
“While the use of biofuels for flights is seriously studied, SAF use on ground equipment gets equal attention. We look forward to creating a plan on how best to proceed,” said Bautista.
Further, he also emphasized ongoing agency efforts to privatize NAIA and the search for investors to develop regional airports and support tourism promotions.
“Airport networks provide a never-ending challenge to adapt and upscale our standards. We should respond with precision and efficiency to sustain passenger safety and comfort,” said Bautista.
“We have so far succeeded due to the cooperation of various stakeholders. We have also demonstrated that private sector collaboration has high success rates,” he added.
