Cebu Pacific expects to complete aircraft purchase by first half

Cebu Pacific, operated by Cebu Air, Inc., expects to complete its aircraft purchase by the first half of the year, its president said on Tuesday. “I think what we had initially said was maybe by the first quarter, but then first half was our latest guidance,” Alexander G. Lao, Cebu Pacific president and CCO told reporters. The budget carrier earlier said that it plans to order over 100 narrow-body aircraft from Boeing or Airbus, worth roughly $12b. “The process is really going back and forth with the key suppliers. It’s not just Airbus and Boeing, but it’s also the engine manufacturers; because, clearly, we have to make an engine selection with those aircraft,” Lao said. “We expect to hopefully come to a decision by the first half. Before the first half of the year ends. So, the process is ongoing [but] there is no hard deadline. It is not like we’re chasing,” he added.<br/>