Cebu Pacific Air announced on April 18 the resumption of its Cebu and Clark routes from Narita. The Narita-Cebu route will operate daily from May 1, while the Narita-Clark route will operate four days a week from May 21. This is the first time the route has resumed service since March 2020.
To commemorate this reopening, a one-way base fare sale is being offered from April 17 to 19 with a minimum one-way fare of 100 yen (excluding fuel, airport fees, etc.). The sale applies to all routes between Japan and the Philippines, and is valid from August 1 to March 31, 2024.
Speaking at the announcement, President and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Alexander Rao explained that the international market in the Philippines recovered rapidly in FY2022, and that the number of flights will increase to more than 3,000 per week in FY2023 (2,600 flights per week at the end of 2022). The company is also the youngest airline in the Philippines in terms of average aircraft age, with 54 Airbus aircraft and 19 ATR aircraft. In addition, the company plans to add 15 Airbus A330/320neo aircraft in 2023.
In addition to the resumed Cebu/Clark route, the company currently operates two flights a day from Narita and one flight a day from Kansai International Airport, Centrair (Chubu), and Fukuoka between Japan and Manila.
Japan Branch Manager Tomohiko Matsumoto commented on the Japanese market situation, saying that with the resumption of the Cebu and Clark routes in May, the number of flights will return to the same level as before Corona (64 flights per week), and the company hopes to achieve the same level of sales this fiscal year as in fiscal 2019.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the recovery of the Japanese market is lagging behind that of overseas markets, with outbound travel only at 30% of 2019 levels. As to the reason for this, Matsumoto said, “Many people may feel that the hurdles to overseas travel are too high, partly because of reports of high prices and other factors. However, not all foreign countries are expensive,” he said, noting that the Philippines is more affordable than other destinations and is close enough in distance to visit even for a short period of time. As an example of prices, he explained that Ippudo, a well-known ramen restaurant in Japan, has opened a branch in the Philippines, and the price of one bowl of ramen is about 1,000 yen, “comparable to what you would pay if you ate in Japan.
He emphasized the value of the sale, saying, “You can go there and come back more easily than you can go to Okinawa, for example.
© Source travel watch