Air travel within the Philippines is the third fastest growing market in the world, after India and Mexico, with Cebu Pacific setting the pace in the domestic market with a growth rate of 47% in terms of passengers carried in 2007.
India’s domestic market grew by 33%, followed by Mexico at 27%, Philippines at 23%, and China at 16%.
The Philippines domestic air travel market grew with almost 10.4 million travelers in 2007 versus almost 8.5million passengers in 2006.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific spokesperson, said domestic travel started booming when Cebu Pacific introduced year-round low fares in 2005, forcing other local airlines to follow suit to be able to compete.
“Our rapid domestic network expansion, aggressive pricing, year-round low fares, and new and growing fleet stimulated the market and introduced air travel to many first-time flyers,” she said.
Iyog said Cebu Pacific expects the growth trend to continue this year and beyond as the airline takes delivery of more new aircraft, which will be used to serve new domestic and international destinations.
“The arrival of brand new Airbus and ATR aircraft will open up the Philippines and hopefully generate economic growth largely through tourism and trade in the process,” she said.
Now in its 12th year, Cebu Pacific has the youngest fleet in the Philippines. It flies to 12 and soon to be 15 international destinations with the addition of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Kaohsiung in the coming months. Cebu Pacific also flies to 21 domestic destinations with Boracay (Caticlan) starting February 29, 2008.