1H volume of domestic air passengers goes up by 10%

As improved economic conditions spurred a greater demand for air travel, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) reported on Friday that the volume of domestic air passengers rose by 10 percent in the first half of the year. Government data showed that there were 8.39 million domestic air passengers in the first half of the year compared to 7.59 million in the same period a year earlier. The Gokongwei-led budget carrier Cebu Pacific carried 4.088 million passengers during the six-month period, an increase of 13 percent from the 3.614 million passengers recorded in the same period last year. This made Cebu Pacific the biggest airline in the country, gaining a market share of 48.75 percent. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) had 2.88 million passengers in the first half, a decrease of almost 10 percent from its record of 3.207 million passengers in the same period a year ago. Still, PAL's drop was offset by its sister company, Air Philippines, which had 667,686 passengers in the six-month period as against 254,244 passengers last year. Zest Air, owned by local juice magnate Alfred Yao, posted a climb in its passenger record in the first half to 616,058, up from 433,576 passengers in the January to June period last year. Southeast Asian Airlines or SEAir had 132,416 passengers in the six-month period while it had only 83,132 passengers a year ago. The CAB said it expects air travel this year, particularly in the domestic market, to grow at a double-digit rate as it will be driven by stiff competition between local airlines, resulting in lower rates. —JE/VVP, GMANews.TV