Cebu Pacific sorry for ‘disruptions’, vows to resolve ‘challenges’

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is apologizing to passengers affected by “disruptions” of their flights attributing these “primarily” to fleet availability issues. At a joint hearing in the Senate on Wednesday (June 21), Cebu Pacific, through its CCO Alexander Lao, recognised the difficulties and frustrations experienced lately by its passengers due to flight delays or cancellations. “We express our sincerest apologies to our passengers for the disruptions and assure you that we are committed to resolving these challenges,” Lao said during the hearing of the Senate committees on tourism and public services. “We value the trust and confidence of our passengers and are committed to providing safe, affordable, and reliable flights. We understand that this is still our responsibility as a public service,” he added. Cebu Pacific then enumerated several factors that affected their operations – from the global supply chain issues to ground damage caused by unexpected severe weather events. In particular, Lao cited the grounding of 120 Pratt and Whitney (PW)-powered Airbus aircraft worldwide, which he said impacted other carriers, not just Cebu Pacific. “The PW engines are experiencing premature removal from service, and each engine restoration requires 220 days instead of the industry norm of 90 days. This premature servicing can be likened to a car’s preventive maintenance, where the vehicle is brought in for inspection at 3,000 kilometers instead of the expected 5,000km. Additionally, the vehicle is in the shop for one month instead of one day,” he explained.<br/>