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More Seats to Malaysia

ASA attracts 2,500 more seats

June 10, 2011

Additional flight entitlements to Malaysia were approved Wednesday after the conclusion of bilateral air talks with the Malaysian government for more seat entitlements between Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

Civil Aeronautics Board executive director Carmelo Arcilla said the Philippine air talk panel agreed to an additional 2,520 seats weekly for Manila airport, on top of the current 2,300.

“Currently, the existing 2,300 seats between Manila and Kuala Lumpur are fully utilized by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Malaysia Airlines,” Arcilla said.

He said Cebu Pacific planned to increase flights in the route while Air Philippines and Zest Airways had expressed interest to mount flights between Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

“We also agreed on unlimited traffic rights to airports outside of Manila, in keeping with the spirit of Executive Order 29,” he added.

Air Asia is operating flights between Clark and Kota Kinabalu.

“This is our first grant of unlimited traffic rights to our secondary gateways outside of Manila under EO 29,” Arcilla said, adding that the Malaysian government promised to reciprocate the rights to Philippine carriers.

Cebu Pacific has already asked the Civil Aeronautics Board for an allotment of 720 seat entitlements from the 2,520 additional seats agreed upon in the amended air services agreement (ASA) between the Philippines and Malaysia.

The listed airline currently mounts 10 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur (KL) from Manila and plans to increase it further to 14 weekly flights in years time. CEB allotment already translates to 1,800 seats a week. The twice-a-day flights are equivalent to 2,520 weekly seats on a A320 with 180 seats.

“At a minimum and within the year, we would need an additional 720 seats a week. Starting next year though we want to go three times daily to KL,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and distribution. 

The ASA between the Philippines and Malaysia was amended during the two-day air talks which were concluded on June 8.

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