Philippines AirAsia to focus on domestic market post-COVID-19
Aviation Updates Philippines – The Philippine unit of ASEAN's largest low-cost carrier, Philippines
AirAsia, plans to resume vital operations mid-May, subject to the lifting of
the enhanced community quarantine in Manila.
In an exclusive interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel, Philippines AirAsia
Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Isla said the airline will initially resume
23 percent of its flight operations.
"We are going to reopen on May 15, and that's going to be a total of six
aircraft. We will concentrate on domestic flights. That only assumes,
conservatively, about 23 percent of our usual 4,000 flights. But this time,
we are going to only fly in and out about 23 percent of our flights," he
told ANC.
In the next two months, AirAsia eyes to launch flights to Zamboanga, General
Santos, and Dumaguete. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the low-cost carrier
opened reservations for the launching of flights from Clark and Cebu to
General Santos and Zamboanga. However, these did not push through because of
the Metro Manila lockdown.
Before the year ends, Philippines AirAsia intends to establish new air links
to five destinations in the Philippines as it refocuses on strengthening its
foothold in the domestic market. The airline will prioritize the domestic
market for now, compared to its mostly international focus in the previous
years.
Meanwhile, for its international flights, Isla said it may resume "...once
we are going to get a good feel of the domestic market on the first month in
May."
Starting June, AirAsia will then increase the number of aircraft in
operation to nine from six the previous month. Presently, AirAsia has 24
Airbus A320-216 aircraft on its fleet, 23 of which are currently grounded
while three are used for cargo and repatriation flights.
Interestingly, the airline's chief also mentioned about the establishment of
"small hubs" around the Philippines. Isla shared his plans to establish
hubs, not only in Clark, Manila, Cebu, and Davao but also in Puerto Princesa
and Panglao. "In these sub-hubs, we will make sure that they will have the
consistent service of AirAsia, and the sustainability will be felt by all
our passengers."
For its future flights, AirAsia will ensure that its crew would wear
personal protective equipment. Rigorous cleaning will also be done to their
aircraft every day, which usually lasts for two hours, according to the
airline executive. Isla reassured the safety of passengers on AirAsia's
flights as they continue to adhere to protocols set forth by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA).
While it is still exploring further options like emptying middle seats on
flights, AirAsia, for now, will enforce physical distancing as much as
possible. Flights, if not full, will see passengers ideally distanced to
prevent any contact with fellow guests.
Right now, AirAsia is in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines (CAAP), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the
Congress, as it tries to secure stimulus packages and government grants to
help with its recovery given its current financial situation.
"April is practically zero," Isla said. The airline is carefully watching
its expenses and costs as it leans to recovery once flight operations
restart. AirAsia remains positive for a hopefully better fourth-quarter
outlook.
No comments
The comments made below are the views of the commenter only. We reserve the right to remove comments that are offensive, harmful, or do not follow our community guidelines.