AirAsia Philippines remains optimistic of sustaining growth this year despite the threat of the Omicron variant.
In a statement, AirAsia said it has gained a stronger footing versus its pre-pandemic domestic market share which grew to 19 percent, climbing 3.5 notches from its 15.5 percent share in 2019.
The low-cost airline has also peaked at 95 percent load factor over the course of the recent holiday period, while ending December at 88 percent — both record high figures over the past 1.5 years.
In the month of December, AirAsia Philippines ranked third most popular airline in terms of flight bookings among AirAsia territories, following Malaysia and Thailand.
AirAsia said it has also observed domestic travel is gaining stronger momentum in the recent yearend quarter, mostly because of the low positive infection rate and daily case count.
For 2022, AirAsia Philippines said it is set to expand its domestic presence to 18 destinations from 14 in 2021, and to grow regional routes by exploring opportunities in the Middle East, United States and Australia.
“AirAsia Philippines is highly optimistic that with improved synergies between the national and local governments, and the intensified vaccination program of the country, more Filipinos will be enticed to travel again,” the airline said.
“AirAsia Philippines joins the entire aviation community in hoping and planning for a stronger 2022 as it believes that domestic tourism will be one of the major pillars of economic recovery post-pandemic,” it added.
To sustain growth, AirAsia noted three main priorities this year, including cash availability and cash management to support recovery strategies en route to profitability; sustainable cost management and rationalization to operate commercial flights, e.g. fuel, repairs and maintenance, airport charges, ground services, staff and staff related costs, marketing and other operating costs.
Meanwhile, AirAsia said it is also closely monitoring the impact of the omicron coronavirus variant, but is confident that its multi-layered safety protocols, the 100 percent vaccination of its crew, the presence of High Efficiency Particulate Air filters in its aircraft, and the shared culture of safety and vigilance spells optimum performance moving forward, amid the pandemic.
