分类： Cebu Pacific Air

Cebu Pacific Awatis European Decision Next Month

Cebu Pacific is expecting a decision from the European Union by the end of next month on its application to lift a ban that prevents the carrier from launching flights to Europe.

According to Julian Vassallo, an EU Representative, Cebu Pacific has already submitted an application to end the ban. “We received their letters in late September explaining that they had addressed the issues,” said Vassallo. “The EU made observations about things that needed to be taken care of such as the management structure of airlines and their procedures. Cebu Pacific has replied, explaining the situation and that actions have already been taken.”

Cebu Pacific confirmed that it had submitted the requirements to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines who endorsed them to their counterparts in the European Union. According to John Andrews, Deputy Director of CAAP, the industry regulator has recommended to the European Union the possible lifting of the ban imposed on Cebu Pacific.

“Cebu Pacific has shown that they have addressed the European Union’s concerns, which include the adoption of a lot of emergency procedures specifically on landing during bad weather conditions,” said Andrews.

A delegation from the European Union arrived in the Philippines in early June to conduct a safety audit. But just prior to the team’s arrival, a Cebu Pacific aircraft was involved in a landing accident at Davao International Airport which forced the carrier to withdraw its original application and review its internal procedures. EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux had then stated that, “the unfortunate accident in June showed some weaknesses that still need to be addressed.”

But Cebu Pacific is now confident that those weaknesses have been addressed and the next step is for the airline to travel to Brussels to make a presentation in mid-November to the European Union’s Air Safety Committee to demonstrate that they have sufficiently addressed any shortcomings.

According to Vassallo, following the presentation in mid-November, the airline will just have to wait for the result which will likely take around 10 days. Last July, the European Union lifted a ban imposed on Philippine Airlines permitting the carrier to restore service to Europe. The European Union blacklisted all Philippine carriers in 2010 after the International Civil Aviation Organization revealed significant safety concerns in the country.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines will begin the only direct non-stop service between Manila and London Heathrow Airport on November 4 marking the carrier’s return after a fifteen year absence.

Cebu Pacific Air to offer inflight Wi-Fi with OnAir

Cebu Pacific Air (PSE:CEB), the Philippines’ largest flag carrier, will provide OnAir Internet service to passengers in its Airbus A330 fleet starting in 2013. The airline also has the option to install Wi-Fi on its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, for short haul flights, in the next phase.

Once Internet OnAir is in service, Cebu Pacific passengers will be able to access the Internetduring flights and make calls using Voice Over IP applications, using their Wi-Fi enabled personal electronic devices, such as Android™ phones and tablets, iPhone®, iPad®, BlackBerry®, and laptops. Cebu Pacific’s A330 fleet is scheduled to have Wi-Fi installed mid-next year, in time for the airline’s initial deployment of long haul services. CEB’s A330 fleet, planned for introduction in the third quarter of 2013, will allow Cebu Pacific to provide direct, non-stop flights to regions within the aircraft’s 11-hour flying range including the Middle East, Australia, parts of Europe and the U.S.

Manila-based Cebu Pacific will be the first long-haul, Low Cost Carrier in South East Asia to provide inflight Internet access.Consistent with its track record of innovation, CEB will be the first Filipino airline to provide Internet connectivity.

“Cebu Pacific has a highly social community of over 600,000 likes on Facebook and over 380,000 Twitter followers. We are very happy to provide our guests with the convenience of online connectivity while in-flight. CEB can now engage passengers through innovative web-based solutions that will further enhance their flying experience with us, said Candice Iyog, CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution.

“Cebu Pacific’s focus on social media makes inflight connectivity an obvious option, both so that passengers can stay connected throughout their journey, and so the airline can continue reaching its passengers,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “Cebu Pacific is OnAir’s first low-cost, long-range Wi-Fi client in Asia. As the air transport market develops, we expect to see more LCCs operating long-haul routes and there is no doubt they will want to provide connectivity.”

OnAir’s use of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband, combined with the most extensive network of regulatory approvals and roaming agreements, means its services are available around the world.

About Cebu Air Inc. (PSE: CEB)

Cebu Air Inc. is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 20 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 38 aircraft – with an average age of 3.6 years – is one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Asia. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 22 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. In 2013, CEB will take delivery of 4 Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft to launch its long haul operations in the same year.

More information about CEB is available at www.cebupacificair.com

About OnAir

OnAir sets the benchmark for global inflight connectivity services, with 47 customers on five continents. We are the only provider to offer consistent global coverage for both inflight GSM and WiFi, thanks to around 80 regulatory approvals, 350 roaming agreements, and by using Inmarsat’s satellite networks.

OnAir’s products enable passengers to use their own mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and laptops in exactly the same way as they do on the ground, either through the onboard GSM network or the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. The products are available as linefit or retrofit for all commercial aircraft, as well as government, VIP and business jets, and ships.

OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by SITA, the leading IT solutions provider to the air transport world and Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for bothSwiftBroadband and Global Xpress services.

More information about OnAir is available at www.onair.aero