Cebu Pacific leases 4 aircraft for long-haul flights

MANILA, Philippines – Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Air is gearing up for its long haul flights with new aircraft arriving in 2013 to 2014.

In a press statement on Wednesday, February 22, the budget carrier announced that it has signed an operating lease agreements on 4 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft with CIT Aerospace, a unit of the CIT Group Inc.

The aircraft will be powered by Rolls- Royce Trent 772B engines.

These aircraft can mount flights to routes beyond 4 hours, the current coverage of its Airbus A320 fleet.

Alex Reyes, Cebu Pacific’s General Manager for the Long-Haul Division, said, “These Airbus A330-300 aircraft will allow us to offer our trademark low fares to an even wider market. With the introduction of wide-body aircraft into our fleet, we could offer non-stop services into Australia, India, the Middle East and parts of Europe and the US.”

The budget airline described itself in the press statement as the “Philippines’ largest national flag carrier,” a tag that legacy carrier and Asia’s first airline, Philippine Airlines (PAL), had long used. – Rapple.com