Air Asia Philippines said Wednesday the number of passengers it carried fell 99 percent in the second quarter from a year ago due to the travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Philippine unit of Southeast Asia’s largest budget airline said passenger volume reached only 29,111 in the April to June period, down from 2.22 million passengers it flew in the same period last year.
The airline hibernated its fleet from March 20 to June 4 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Load factor fell by 36 percentage points to 55 percent from 91 percent.
“For the fourth quarter this year, AirAsia Philippines is targeting a recovery of domestic capacity up to 60 percent of pre-Covid-19 levels,” the company said.
Air Asia resumed limited domestic and international commercial flight schedules after Metro Manila reverted to the general community quarantine.
The airline resumed flights between Cebu and Davao and Clark and Davao as well as from Manila to Davao, Tacloban, Bacolod, Caticlan, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa and Iloilo.
Air Asia will also fly between Manila and Kuala Lumpur.
“The airline urges guests to check the latest travel restrictions and advice of respective local and national governments before travelling, as policies may change frequently,” Air Asia said
AirAsia said that with travel plans being fluid during the pandemic, it offered enhanced flexibility options for guests to manage their flights.
Those with existing flight bookings departing from March 23 to Aug. 31 this year which were cancelled by the airline could choose between a credit account with a 2-year validity period or unlimited flight changes until Oct. 31, 2020.
Refunds are also available to those whose flights were cancelled due to the recent MECQ decision of the government.