(File photo courtesy of Tep Keerati FB account)
MANILA — AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer Dexter Comendador on Friday told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) the airline has managed to sustain a high average on-time performance (OTP) this July.
OTP is being measured by number of departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure and arrival times, including cancellations.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has been publishing a daily record of lowest and highest OTPs of various airlines since mid-May.
AirAsia Philippines landed in the lowest OTP section on several instances. Comendador said that in all of AirAsia Philippines' hubs, its average OTP was 63 percent in May, and 69 percent in June.
This month, the carrier's average OTP, he said, is 80 percent. "On good days, we (even) end at 90-92 percent (OTP)," he remarked.
The executive also noted that for planes leaving Manila, AirAsia's OTP for July 1-11 reached 96 percent, and 100 percent on good days. "We are able to sustain 90 percent up to the third wave, on good days," he added.
In AirAsia Philippines, the first wave refers to aircraft departure between 12 midnight to 8 a.m., the second wave is between 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and the third wave is between 12 noon to 4 p.m. The fourth wave, on the other hand, is between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The average OTP of AirAsia for planes leaving Manila, for the whole day, was 58 percent in May, and 67 percent in June, he added.
Comendador was among the airline executives who signed a pledge of commitment to support NAIA decongestion, develop Sangley airport, and improve passenger convenience, last June.
He earlier told the PNA that the biggest challenge AirAsia Philippines is facing is on getting terminal and take off slots at the NAIA.
This is why he said he hopes the implementation of the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC 2019-01) would be more vigorous. The JMC 2019-01, an updated guidelines on the misuse of slots under JMC 2019-01, were submitted for publication last June 20 and took effect 15 days thereafter.
Under the new circular, slots hoarders would face sanctions, and slots may be immediately recalled from them.
"Airline slots hoarders were already warned last 2016, but look at how things crumbled in 2019," Comendador lamented earlier.
Civil Aeronautics Board chief legal officer Wyrlou Samodio, meanwhile, said the new circular would be strict, and that the old and new circulars are basically the same.
"We just added that the instances of misuse (of slots), and the immediate recall of slots after a periodic review," he said.
The new JMC addresses situations where airlines used to get through the rules and avoid being sanctioned, Samodio said. (PNA)
