Summary
- Senate President Zubiri calls for more landing slots for local carriers to boost connectivity within the Visayas and Mindanao regions within the Philippines, with AirAsia Philippines supporting the initiative.
- Additional slots will enable AirAsia Philippines to expand its network, revive flights to varied destinations, and supply reasonably priced airfares to more passengers, in accordance with AirAsia’s country head for communications and public affairs.
- Unused slots through the pandemic got to other carriers, but many are still unallocated, presenting a possibility for AirAsia Philippines and other airlines to utilize them for the good thing about the aviation industry.
Recently, Juan Miguel Zubiri, President of the Senate of the Philippines, urged the legislature to bolster connectivity throughout the country’s Visayas region and the island of Mindanao, by providing more landing slots to local carriers. AirAsia Philippines, a number one low-cost carrier within the island nation, has welcomed Zubiri’s call with great support.
Photo: AirAsia Philippines
A slot pair, which is a permit issued to an operator to land and take off at a selected time, allows a carrier to perform scheduled business flights at an airport. By providing carriers like AirAsia Philippines with more slots, the airlines will have the opportunity to expand their networks within the regions identified by the senate president, helping the aviation industry throughout the nation proceed to grow.
The announcement
This announcement got here at a recent budget briefing by Zubiri on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) when the politician suggested that unutilized slots be given to airlines that may operate them with the intention to allow for more connections. In this manner, Filipino residents will have the opportunity to learn from the increased service and elevated connectivity, especially from low-cost carriers.
Photo: MDV Edwards | Shutterstock
In his address, Zubiri felt the necessity to call out AirAsia Philippines specifically, saying the next words:
“AirAsia is buying more planes and their problem is that they can not use the planes because they don’t have any slots. I’m just lobbying for our passengers because we want more flights, particularly Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, and other destinations within the Philippines.”
Likely, Zubiri’s statement is a response to recent words from Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia Philippines’ parent company Capital A. In June 2023, Fernandes announced that AirAsia Philippines’ fleet would double in size by 2024.
AirAsia Philippines’ Response
Quite obviously, AirAsia Philippines, which has been targeting expansion in recent months, was excited by Zubiri’s press conference, and the airline’s leadership is optimistic about expanding within the regions named by the senate president. In a press release Steve Dailisan, AirAsia country head for communications and public affairs, had the next words to share:
“Additional slots can even allow AirAsia to revive flights to Zamboanga, Dumaguete, General Santos City, and expand frequency in Cagayan de Oro which can be a gateway to Northern Mindanao. This, in turn, will give AirAsia the upper hand to proceed to offer the very best value airfares and best travel deals as we proceed to democratize air travel for everybody.”
In accordance with the Department of Transportation, slots that were unused by passenger airlines through the pandemic got to other carriers in a position to operate those flights, equivalent to cargo airlines. Now, lots of these slot pairs have been left vacant and are yet to be reallocated.
Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen/Shutterstock
AirAsia Philippines was founded 13 years ago in December 2010, with an eye fixed on developing the low-cost sector within the country. Currently, the airline connects 29 destinations across the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region with a fleet of 18 narrowbody Airbus A320 jets. The carrier’s operating bases are positioned at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB), Clark International Airport (CRK) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL).