CEBU, Philippines - Following its investment of at least US$39 million for acquiring new Airbuses, Southeast East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) announced its flight frequency expansion to take advantage of the active domestic tourism market, starting with Cebu.
Seair chief operations officer (COO) Patrick Tan was in Cebu Wednesday to announce the airline’s active entry to the country’s low-cost airline market.
Starting July 31, 2012 Seair will start its three daily flights from Manila to Cebu using the 144-seater Airbus 319 aircraft. This is part of its expansion of domestic operations to seven cities nationwide including Iloilo, Bacolod, Kalibo, Tacloban, Davao and Puerto Princesa.
Tan said the airline is also in exploratory talks with the local government and business communities to promote its operations in Cebu and develop business relations further.
“Cebu is one of the most important destinations in the country and its central location makes it a major gateway to the islands in the Visayas region. Our presence here means an increase in trade and tourism in the region, as well as job generation,” said Tan.
With the addition of three daily flights to Cebu, 300,000 arrivals are expected every year translating to the creation of 300 jobs directly and indirectly, according to international statistics.
Seair recently converted its operations from that of a leisure airline to a low-cost budget airline with a fleet consisting of three Airbus A320s and two A319s. It currently offers flights from Clark to Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu, and Kalibo.
“The change in business model can only enhance our passenger experience of short and safe flights from one island destination to another. The new Airbus planes are more spacious and can accommodate up to 180 seats with generous leg room. And, in comparison to other airlines servicing the same destinations, SEAIR offers the lowest fares in the market,” added Tan.
As the second longest-running airline in the country, SEAIR has helped develop some of the major destinations in the country including Boracay, Batanes, and northern Palawan. It was also the first to introduce the online and e-ticketing system in 2006. Recently, it has become the first Tiger Airways Partner Airline in the Asia Pacific region.
“Our partnership with Tiger Airways will help us realize our vision of becoming one of the biggest airlines in the country. In the pipeline are flights connecting Cebu to other parts of the country and the Southeast Asian region,” said Tan.
Seair plans to launch more flights soon to Naga, Legaspi, Bohol, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, General Santos, and Tawi-tawi, as well as international flights to Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
Tan also announced that the airline is considering Cebu as one of its main regional hub in the next few years.
“As one of the most important destinations in the country, Cebu will be a natural choice. Our main service hub is based in Clark Airport, and maintains our fleet of five Airbus 320 and 319 aircraft. The next hub to open will be in Manila. Since Cebu possesses the infrastructure and skilled professionals, it is definitely being considered as a regional hub in the future,” he said.
Tan added that Seair envisions itself to be the low-fare airline of choice in the country and region, and one of the biggest airlines in the next five years in terms of fleet, passenger count, job generation and tourism stimulation.
“We are looking at expanding to three more hubs and flying to more destinations in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia, helping travelers discover new and exciting place to visit and do business,” he said.
Seair was founded in 1995 by Capt. Iren Dornier, Capt. Nick Gitsis and Tomas Lopez with an initial investment of only P2 million and two nine-seater plane. It first started flying passengers and light cargo from Manila to Caticlan, and Manila to Rodriguez and Busuanga in Palawan. (FREEMAN)