Cebu Pacific is looking to expand its operations in Japan, on the back of strong demand.
The Philippine low-cost carrier tells FlghtGlobal that it sees Tokyo Haneda as an "expansion opportunity", but that all the country's 14 weekly frequencies have been awarded to Philippine Airlines.
"We believe that beginning operations in Haneda, once granted entitlements, will further grow our existing customer base by catering specifically to those business travelers who prefer to land nearer to the centre of Tokyo," says the carrier.
"Our value proposition for Haneda is to offer travelers the convenience of an airport that's closer to Tokyo's city centre, while flying safely and efficiently on a four-hour flight to Manila at the lowest fare possible."
The carrier would not be drawn into discussions on how many flights it wants to mount to Haneda, saying this depends on the outcome of air talks between the two governments.
FlightGlobal schedules data shows that Cebu already operates a daily service to Tokyo Narita. The carrier also has services to Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka.
Cebu adds that it continues to study opportunities for long-haul routes, following its recent pullout from Kuwait, Riyadh, and Doha.
Asked whether any of its 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft on order are of the long-range variant, Cebu says it has not committed to such, but continues to look for opportunities that would justify such an investment.
The re-engined aircraft were originally scheduled for delivery from September through to 2021. This has been pushed to start in the fourth quarter of 2018, over concerns about the durability of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100 engine.
In the interim, Cebu has ordered seven additional A321s, deliveries of which will begin from March 2018.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
