Cebu Pacific Receives 45th Aircraft, A330 Enters Service

The month of July got off to a much better start for the Philippines' leading budget carrier, Cebu Pacific. The beginning of the month saw the arrival of the airline's forty-fifth aircraft and the inaugural flight of its first Airbus A330-300 aircraft. 

Passengers on Cebu Pacific's flight to Seoul Incheon on July 4th enjoyed an extra special treat as flight 188 was the inaugural flight of the airline's first A330 widebody aircraft. Passengers enjoyed the celebration that came complete with fanfare and plenty of freebies. 

Photo Source: Cebu Pacific

Ms. Rizziane Tolentino was the first passenger to check in for the flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Tolentino is a student at the Catholic University of Korea. Cebu Pacific rewarded her punctuality with a complimentary round-trip ticket between Manila and Seoul. 

The airline took delivery of its first A330 aircraft last month. In addition to flying the route between Manila and Seoul, Cebu Pacific will also be using it on services between Manila and Singapore beginning on July 8. A second Airbus A330 is due to arrive in September and that will be used to launch the airline's first long-haul service to Dubai on October 7, 2013. 

Following a day of celebrating the first wide-body flight for Cebu Pacific, the party didn't stop the next day either as the airline took delivery of its forty-fifth aircraft, a brand new Airbus A320 equipped with sharklets. The sharklets are a unique technology of Airbus that enables airlines to improve fuel efficiency by four percent. This will be the third aircraft that the airline has received with sharklets in 2013. 

Photo Source: Airbus

Between now and 2021, Cebu Pacific will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of an additional sixteen A320 aircraft equipped with sharklets along with the larger A321 aircraft, a new member of the Cebu Pacific fleet, and more A330 widebody aircraft. "These highly efficient, state-of-the-art aircraft will allow us to continue offering Cebu Pacific's trademark lowest fares to our passengers," said Candice Iyog, Vice President of Marketing and Distribution. "We look forward to taking delivery of more aircraft, equipped with the most modern, best in class technology for the benefit of our guests."

Cebu Pacific is exiting what has been an incredibly challenging month in June following a string of incidents involving aircraft following a landing incident in Davao that saw an A320 aircraft run off the runway during heavy rains. The airline has been faced with fierce criticism in the media along with angry passengers that have taken their frustrations to social media. The Civil Aviation Authority recently released its final report on the Davao incident citing pilot error as the cause of the accident.