Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines doubled its seats sold to nearly 500,000 in March, signaling the return of the usual surge of air travel during the summer season.

AirAsia Philippines reported yesterday that forward bookings have sustained their upward trend toward the end of the first quarter and entering the summer period.

Based on data, the Philippine unit of the Malaysian airline grew its seats sold by 95 percent on a yearly basis to around 475,000 in March.

AirAsia Philippines spokesman Steve Dailisan said both domestic and international networks are experiencing a spike in demand. For domestic, most of the March bookings are for trips headed to Cebu, Boracay and Tacloban, while Taipei, Bangkok and Seoul account for the majority of the foreign demand.

Dailisan said AirAsia Philippines is trying to maintain airfares at affordable rates despite the increase in the price of jet fuel. Through this, the airline hopes to sustain the recovering demand for air travel, buoyed by the lifting of travel restrictions here and abroad.

'AirAsia's competitive pricing is still seen as among the top motivators for guests choosing to fly with us,' Dailisan said.

'Our effort of mounting different online and on-ground travel promos is our way of providing the best value for our guests' hard-earned money,' he added.

For the week, AirAsia Philippines has opened another round of piso sale, where base fares go for as low as P1, to keep the momentum up for the travel sector.

In particular, the airline offers P1 base fare for one way trips to Boracay, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Davao, Kalibo, Cagayan de Oro and Roxas. It also sells flight tickets with base fares of P511 to P2,811 for Asian destinations like Macau, Taipei, Bangkok, Bali, Tokyo and Osaka.

Dailisan advised travelers to plan their trips ahead and book their flights early to ensure that they get the most affordable airfare. For the year, airfares are expected to go up due to the increase in the price of jet fuel.

Likewise, airlines are scrambling for supply of aircraft to meet the rising demand from travelers, who are now completing the trips that they had to postpone due to the pandemic.

For the year, AirAsia Philippines expects to return to its pre-pandemic level of passenger traffic, especially China, one of its largest markets, has started to reopen its borders for air travel.

 

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