AirAsia Philippines Named Most Punctual Budget Airline Globally in July

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines turned in the best on-time performance among the world’s budget airlines in July, extending its run as one of the most punctual globally. For July, aviation analyst OAG named AirAsia Philippines as the most punctual low-cost airline in the world, topping some of the toughest in the field like Peach Aviation and Jeju Air. AirAsia Philippines posted an on-time rate of 94.42 percent across 2,248 flights in July, with no cancellations. AirAsia Philippines president and CEO Anna Victoria Lu said the carrier is beginning to reap the benefits of its fleet adjustment to cope with elevated flying costs. The airline rearranged its flight network to weather the impact of higher jet fuel prices caused by the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. Lu said the fleet revamp has allowed AirAsia Philippines to maximize every flight and trim fuel consumption. It also enabled the airline to manage flight arrivals, leading to the improvement in on-time scores. “These measures help minimize disruptions while ensuring safe, reliable and efficient operations across the network,” Lu said. Prior to this, AirAsia Philippines posted a punctuality rate of 92.96 percent in June to rank fourth globally on OAG’s on-time list. The OAG on-time index is different from the monthly list of punctual airlines issued by aviation expert Cirium, which frequently includes flag carrier Philippine Airlines. Meanwhile, budget carrier Cebu Pacific is expanding its overseas network in the fourth quarter in anticipation of higher demand for air travel for the Undas and Christmas seasons. Cebu Pacific will restore weekly flights between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh by Oct. 26. The airline will also launch new services from Cebu, namely, to Shanghai, starting Nov. 17, and to Nagoya, beginning Nov. 19. This will make Cebu Pacific the only domestic carrier to connect Cebu to the two cities. Cebu Pacific will also proceed with the restoration of weekly flights between Clark and Hanoi, a service that had to be suspended as part of the airline’s fuel management. Likewise, Cebu Pacific is resuming weekly flights between Manila and Xiamen by Nov. 23 to bolster its existing Chinese network of direct flights to Guangzhou and Shanghai. Source: Philstar Business