Cebu Pacific has raised its aircraft delivery schedule this year to 21 from only 15 in a bid to further boost its operations and in response to the rising demand for air travel.
“This aircraft delivery allows us to increase our operational resilience while continuing to provide safe, reliable, and affordable air travel to our passengers,” Alex Reyes, CEB chief strategy officer, said.The ongoing re-fleeting with new-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft and continued use of sustainable aviation fuel also helps the airline’s decarbonization effort in making the aviation industry more sustainable, he added.
On 27 July, Cebu Pacific’s ninth aircraft delivery for 2023, a brand-new Airbus A321neo (new engine option), arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila from Airbus’ delivery centre in Hamburg, Germany using blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on the flight.
Of the 21 expected aircraft deliveries this year, 17 are NEOs, while four are CEOs (current engine option) on short-term lease. The airline aims to shift to a more fuel-efficient, all-NEO fleet by 2028.On 30 June, the airline received a brand new A320neo aircraft from Airbus’ final assembly line in Tianjin, China, powered by SAF with a blend of 41 percent, marking a major milestone for CEB’s sustainable aviation initiatives.
SAF is a drop-in fuel with similar characteristics as conventional jet fuels. It does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or engine and does not have any negative impact on performance.
The use of SAF results in up to 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions across the fuel’s lifecycle.
