THE NUMBER of passengers on domestic flights nationwide grew by double-digit rate in the first semester, fueled by route expansion of local carriers and the popularity of low-cost fares and packages, data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed.
PASSENGERS board a local flight at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City, Leyte — Eastern Visayas’ premier gateway — in this undated file photo.
Passenger volume totaled 11.02 million from January to June, up by 13.37% from 9.72 million last year, CAB figures showed.
Data for international passenger traffic were not immediately available.
The first half figures included 60,381 passengers of Air Asia Philippines, which started operations just last March. Without AirAsia Philippine’s contribution, domestic passenger volume still grew by 12.70% to 10.96 million.
“Airlines are expanding, and so their penetration in the market, because of the improving economy,” CAB Executive Director Carmelo A. Arcilla said in a telephone interview yesterday when asked to comment on the passenger traffic increase.
“[Also], the low-cost fares are very popular, which gave more opportunity for people to travel.”
The CAB official noted “an increase in first-time [air] travelers because of the low-cost promos” but did not elaborate on growth due to this factor.
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific — which captured the biggest share of 45.3% in that period — flew 4.99 million passengers, an increase of 17.41% from 4.25 million from last year.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) had 2.3 million passengers, down by 3.77% from 2.39 million last year.
PAL’s low-cost arm, Airphil Express grew its passenger volume by 29.19% to 2.39 million from 1.85 million year-on-year.
Zest Airways, meanwhile, had 1.26 million passengers, a 10.53% increase from 1.14 million last year.
South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) transported 17,656, down 81.86% from 97,326 last year.
Neither PAL nor SEAir officials were immediately available for comment.
CAB data also showed that cargo transported domestically by air grew 13.74% to 91.88 million kilograms in the first semester from 80.78 million kg in the same period last year.
Mr. Arcilla said in February that combined domestic and international air passenger traffic is projected to grow by 10-12% this year, which would still be fueled by “low-cost carriers” and the “government’s liberal aviation policy.”
The government has been carrying out a “pocket open skies” policy which entails promoting more flights — particularly by foreign carriers — to international airports outside Metro Manila as part of efforts to boost economic development in the other regions of the country.
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Source: C. H. C. Venzon, BusinessWorld (22 August 2012)
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