A330-300

Philippine budget carrier Cebu Air (CEB) is planning to lease up to eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve flights to the US, Middle East, Australia and Europe in 2013.

CEB president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said the A330-300 will give the airline the lowest cost per seat, allowing Cebu to drive long-haul fares 35% lower than those currently offered by other airlines, and as much as 80% lower when CEB offers promo fares.

"This aircraft type is very well suited to the kind of network we want to build and the routes we want to launch," Gokongwei said.

The stretched-fuselage A330-300 is powered by a twin-engine and comes with increased passenger capacity while having a range of up to 11 hours, allowing the company to serve markets such as Australia, Middle East, parts of Europe and the US.

"We are exploring serving cities where large Filipino communities reside – Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the US," Gokongwei said.

"Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop."

Cebu Air, also known as Cebu Pacifi,c currently operates flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Osaka, Taipei, Brunei, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Incheon and Busan.

The airline operates a fleet of ten A319, 19 A320 and eight ATR-72 500 aircraft and the airline will add 23 Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft between 2012 and 2021.

The airline had ordered 37 planes from Airbus for $3.8bn in June 2011, which are scheduled for delivery between 2015 and 2021, following its plans to double its fleet and expand routes.

Cebu Pacific last week said it took a loan worth $160 million from foreign banks to pay for four new Airbus jets that are scheduled for delivery this year.

Image:Cebu Air will operate the leased Airbus A330-300 aircraft to US, Middle East, Australia and Europe in 2013. Photo:Airbus