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LUCIO Tan-owned Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Air Philippines have
carried more domestic passengers than leading rival Cebu Pacific as
of December, according to Civil Aeronautics Board data.
PAL and Air Philippines carried more than five
million passengers domestically from January to December 21 this
year or a 53.8 percent market share during the period compared with
Cebu Pacific’s 46.2 percent share.
PAL said the market lead was more pronounced
during the first three weeks of December, the peak Christmas-holiday
travel period, when its Air Philippines tieup carried a combined
319,895 passengers for a 55.5-percent stake.
The balance of 256,725 passengers, or 44.5
percent was accounted for by the third carrier.
The PAL-Air Philippines alliance also kept led
in terms of seating capacity, with 6.46 million seats flown on 31
domestic routes.
This accounted for 55 percent of the total
capacity—a share that rose to 56 percent in December as both
carriers boosted frequencies during what is traditionally the
busiest travel period of the year.
In contrast, the competition deployed 1.2
million less seats at 5.24 million for 2007, comprising 45 percent
of total capacity for the year—a share that dropped to just 43
percent for December.
PAL and Air Philippines have a combined fleet of
46 narrow- and wide-body aircraft operating an average of 1,246
flights a week to 58 destinations in the country, and across 13
nations and territories.
PAL said it will carry the momentum into 2008 as
it takes delivery of five brand-new Airbus A320 jets during the
year—the last of 15 such aircraft on firm order in a fleet-renewal
program that began in September 2006.
PAL has also signaled that it will exercise its
options on five more aircraft of the same type, for delivery
starting 2009. The modern, narrow-body jets are being deployed on
trunk line domestic and, especially, Asian routes.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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