Cebu Pacific celebrates 24th anniversary
Aviation Updates Philippines – 24 fruitful years ago, Cebu Pacific Air first took to the skies. Unbeknownst to many at that very time, Cebu Pacific would successfully become the Philippines' biggest budget airline and the leading carrier in the domestic market.
Cebu Pacific flew its first flight on March 8, 1996, from Manila to Cebu on-board a reconfigured all-economy 110-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32. Although Cebu Air, Inc. was established in 1988, flight operations started about eight years later.
The airline's first international flight was from Manila to Hong Kong back in 2001. At that time, Cebu Pacific operated both DC-9 aircraft and the Boeing 757-236 aircraft, which carries significantly more passengers compared to the former.
The Boeing 757 fleet of Cebu Pacific was once flown to Davao, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore, and Niigata, among other domestic and international destinations.
In 2005, Cebu Pacific transformed and transitioned into a low-cost carrier (LCC) business model. This move allowed Cebu Pacific to fully utilize its aircraft, to increase frequency and flights to key routes, to offer lower airfares, and to cater to more passengers per flight.
Years later, Cebu Pacific acquired new aircraft such as the ATR 72-500 and -600 series, the Airbus A320 family, and the Airbus A330-300 aircraft for its modernization and re-fleeting program. The acquisition of newer aircraft allowed the airline to open new routes globally.
As of last year, the low-cost airline now flies 80 domestic and 41 international routes with a fleet of more than 80 aircraft.
A message from Team Cebu Pacific: (from Smile Magazine)
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| CONNECTING THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. Since its establishment in 1996, Cebu Pacific has helped connect more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines. Photo by Dickson Ching. |
The airline's first international flight was from Manila to Hong Kong back in 2001. At that time, Cebu Pacific operated both DC-9 aircraft and the Boeing 757-236 aircraft, which carries significantly more passengers compared to the former.
The Boeing 757 fleet of Cebu Pacific was once flown to Davao, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore, and Niigata, among other domestic and international destinations.
In 2005, Cebu Pacific transformed and transitioned into a low-cost carrier (LCC) business model. This move allowed Cebu Pacific to fully utilize its aircraft, to increase frequency and flights to key routes, to offer lower airfares, and to cater to more passengers per flight.
Years later, Cebu Pacific acquired new aircraft such as the ATR 72-500 and -600 series, the Airbus A320 family, and the Airbus A330-300 aircraft for its modernization and re-fleeting program. The acquisition of newer aircraft allowed the airline to open new routes globally.
As of last year, the low-cost airline now flies 80 domestic and 41 international routes with a fleet of more than 80 aircraft.
A message from Team Cebu Pacific: (from Smile Magazine)
So many successful business stories begin with the words “We never thought…”. But not ours. From the beginning, our founder, John Gokongwei Jr, always had big dreams for Cebu Pacific: to get everyJuan to fly.
Today, as we mark our 24th year in the air travel industry, we’re happy to report that we’ve made great strides toward the fulfilment of Mr John’s big dream. In 1996, our first year, we flew 360,000 passengers on 24 daily flights to just three destinations. Twenty-four years later, we’ve flown over 190 million passengers — a number that grows every day.
We are the largest airline in the Philippines, in terms of domestic flights, routes and destinations, and constantly update our fleet to ensure that our aircraft remain reliable, safe and sustainable. Through it all, we still offer a unique flying experience with the same spirit of friendship and fun that we started out with.
As we start our countdown to our first quarter-century in flight, we wish to thank all of you for continuing to choose us as your airline. We’re very grateful to every one of our passengers for helping realize our big dreams.
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