(Photo courtesy of MIAA)
MANILA -- The new chief executive officer (CEO) of AirAsia Philippines said on Tuesday he would continue his predecessor's plans to boost the carrier's services here and between the Philippines and China.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Ricardo Isla said a new A320 aircraft would arrive in December, and he plans the routes to be flexible with several local and international destinations.
AirAsia Philippines would launch a new domestic route soon but Isla said they are still applying for slots to finalize the route.
"We are expanding our presence. Our priority is domestic (routes) as it is our core business," he said.
Isla's predecessor, Dexter Comendador, earlier said he wanted to launch a Beijing route soon, now that the Chinese capital would launch a new airport this year.
"We're looking at (launching new) China routes early next year. We have the biggest market share in Taiwan," Isla said.
The AirAsia Group has routes to Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen. AirAsia Philippines, meanwhile, has launched routes between Kalibo, Aklan and three Chinese destinations -- Macau, Kunming, and Chengdu, early this year.
Isla also confirmed that the airline's Clark-Kaohsiung and Cebu-Kaohsiung routes that were launched last August 1 earned the carrier the biggest market share in Taiwan.
AirAsia Philippines has been offering flights between Manila and Taipei, as well as the Manila-Kaohsiung route.
Meanwhile, AirAsia Philippines' fleet would increase to 25 with the arrival of the new A320 aircraft.
To date, the airline services more than 500 weekly domestic and international flights from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Kalibo. (PNA)
