AirAsia posts growth at 553%
AIRASIA Philippines records a 553% growth in total guests flown this April 2022 versus the same month last year, an indicator of the airline’s strong momentum toward recovery.
The world’s best low-cost airline enters mid-2nd Quarter 2022 with a high 306% growth in total guests flown from January to April versus 2021.
The influx of passengers manifests the high mobility rate in the Philippines amid the election season.
To further encourage the electorate to exercise their right to suffrage, the airline rolled out two election-specific promos in the past two months – the “Fly Home to Vote” and “Buy 1 Take 1 Para sa Pili-Pinas” flight promos, which were availed by a total of 91,997 guests.
Confidence in travel also rose significantly post-Omicron surge, as observed in AirAsia’s forward booking rate.
In April alone, the airline achieved 63% of its pre-pandemic figures for travel happening in two to three months, while it reached 39% for bookings 90 days ahead of travel date and beyond.
Caticlan (Boracay), Kalibo, Cebu, Tagbilaran (Panglao), and Tacloban still remained the top destinations of choice amongst AirAsia guests.
AirAsia Philippines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ricky Isla said, “Our right to vote is enshrined in our constitution, and we at AirAsia are glad to have given our guests an attainable option for transportation as they traveled to and from their respective precincts this election season. Apart from the interzonal travel vis-a-vis the elections, the number of guests we have flown and the rise in advance bookings by at least two months in the past quarter are representative of the strong momentum toward recovery, which is sure to reinforce our country’s economic standing as we ready to exit the pandemic.”
To sustain its momentum for the following quarters, AirAsia Philippines also increased its weekly flight frequency for May by 16%.
AirAsia Philippines flies to Caticlan 35x weekly as of May 10, which will be increased to 38x by the end of the month; Iloilo – 18x weekly and will be increased to 30x weekly; Tacloban 28x weekly; Tagbilaran – 21x weekly; Puerto Princesa – 19x weekly; Bacolod – 18x weekly, but will be increased to 21x by the end of the month.
Davao at 14x weekly; Cagayan – 9x weekly, and will be increased to 11x before the end of the month; Kalibo 18x to 27x weekly before the end of the month; and Cebu – 28x weekly.
Forward bookings for May have also started to pick up, with close to 130,000 seats already sold.
“We expect the demand to increase towards the end of 2nd Quarter for travels which will be made for 3rd Quarter and 4th Quarter. AirAsia Philippines is committed to providing our guests with flexible schedules, affordable fares, and the safest means of transportation to their destinations. We will also continue to provide our guests with exciting promos to match their travel needs,” Isla added. By Jun I. Legaspi
