Cebu Pacific (CEB) has voiced its preference for either Sangley Point in Cavite or the Manila Bay area as the location of Manila’s new international airport, which the Philippines authorities are expected to reveal by end-2016.
“We don’t mind where the airport will be located as long as it is near Manila,” said Alexander Lao, CEB’s vice president commercial sales, explaining that Clark in Pampanga, which is also being considered by the government, is too far even if it were linked by train.
The new airport has become imperative as the existing Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is at overcapacity and has no space to expand its single runway.
Lao, who is also president of subsidiary Cebgo, said the “capacity constraints in NAIA” is one of the key challenges in expanding CEB’s services. The carrier, Philippine’s largest airline in terms of passengers flown, started its first operations in Guam this year and will continue to study the possibility of flying to Honolulu, he added.
He further revealed plans to open services from Manila to Delhi, Perth and Hokkaido, as well as utilising other airports as hubs besides NAIA.
Cebgo will develop “inter-island services to meet the growing demand for local air travel” using the 16 78-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft, said Lao. For instance, Cebu may be used as a hub to Roxas City in Capiz, Calbayog in Samar, Ormoc in Leyte, Masbate province and Marinduque island.
