AirAsia to start Cebu-Bangkok flights in June

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines is out to challenge fellow budget airline Cebu Pacific in the growing market for Cebu flights to Bangkok, setting its entry into the corridor in June.

AirAsia Philippines said it would launch direct flights between Cebu and Bangkok starting June 11 to expand Southeast Asian connectivity from the Visayas.

The flight will land in Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, one of the AirAsia Group’s largest hubs in the region, as it connects to 60 international destinations.

AirAsia Philippines will operate daily flights between Cebu and Bangkok, giving passengers the option to choose any day of the week. The outbound flight to Bangkok leaves at 4:05 a.m., while the return trip to Cebu flies out at 7:05 a.m.

The airline, owned by Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes, is expanding its Cebu hub. Last year, the carrier launched Cebu flights to Kuala Lumpur, Macao, Caticlan and Davao.

Currently, Cebu Pacific is the lone carrier operating in the Cebu-Bangkok market, a service that it offers four times weekly.

AirAsia Philippines is adding frequencies for several of its Manila flights to meet the peak demand for air travel during the dry season.

The airline is adding five weekly services between Manila and Taipei starting March 30 and four weekly flights between Manila and Kaohsiung beginning April 3.

By April 4, AirAsia Philippines will add three weekly trips between Manila and Macao to cap off the new round of East Asia expansion. Historically, airlines see higher bookings between March and May, as Filipinos exploit the academic break to take family trips.

However, it is uncertain whether this year that tradition would continue. Airfares are expected to go up in April, as jet fuel prices have gone up to $157.41 per barrel as of March 6 on worsening tensions in the Middle East.

This is far costlier when compared to the previous average of $99.4 per barrel on Feb. 27, a day before US-Israel strikes on Iran led to a domino of violence in the Middle East.

Jet fuel rates rose the steepest in Asia, by 77 percent, because of its dependence on oil imported from the Middle East.