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Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ second largest carrier, has signed a contract for the purchase of twelve Airbus A319s
and will additionally lease two Airbus A320s to totally replace its existing fleet of DC-9 and B757 aircraft.
The A319s
are scheduled for delivery from September 2005 until 2007 and will be deployed on the airlines’ domestic network
that currently extends to 19 destinations. The A319s will be configured in a 150-seater all economy configuration.
Cebu Pacific is a new customer for Airbus in Asia
Pacific and the latest in a recent series of low cost carriers from the region to select A320 Family aircraft. Over 300 Airbus A320 Family aircraft are already in service with 28 airlines
from the region. With the Cebu Pacific order, the backlog of Airbus A320 Family orders destined for Asia-Pacific
customers is increased to over 120 aircraft.
“After several months of careful and prudent study, we finally decided to re-fleet using the Airbus A319 and A320
because of the long term benefits to Cebu Pacific in terms of economy and operations,”
said Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei. “We believe that our partnership with Airbus will further boost our position in the local
industry and improve our international operations. Furthermore, the Cebu Pacific-Airbus team up will surely play a
key role in the development of our country’s tourism, which is a vital component of the airline’s Vision and Mission.”
“Airbus is delighted to welcome Cebu Pacific to the family of Airbus customers in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. I
am confident that the A319’s combination of low operating costs, high on-time performance and outstanding
passenger appeal will prove to a further boost to the airline’s reputation amongst its passengers in the Philippines
market” said Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël
Forgeard.
The A319
features many modern technology features such as advanced fuel-saving aerodynamics, including winglets, widespread weight-saving
carbonfibre composites, and pilot and maintenance-friendly fly-by-wire controls and centralised maintenance.
The
Airbus A320 Family comprises a variety of seating configurations that allow for a customized layout depending on the airliner’s needs. All of them share the same
airframe – only the fuselage lengths are different – and the same cockpits, systems and
engines. |
