By Ed Paolo Salting
BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific on Wednesday apologized for flight delays and cancellations that have had passengers fuming and prompted a Senate investigation, blaming the situation on supply chain problems, bad weather and operational issues.
"We express our sincerest apologies to our passengers for the disruptions and assure you that we are committed to resolving these challenges," the airline said in a statement.
It noted that among others, several of its Airbus aircraft have had to be grounded due to an engine issue that was also affecting other carriers worldwide.
Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines powering Airbus A321/A320 NEO aircraft are being removed from service, with engine restorations taking 220 days instead of the standard 90.
"More than 120 aircraft worldwide are currently grounded due to this issue," the carrier claimed.
"Cebu Pacific has already encountered 12 unscheduled engine removals this year and had to ground 3 Airbus A321/A320 NEOs indefinitely since the middle of March," it added.
"Apart from the PW engine issues, we have also encountered delays from Airbus, our aircraft manufacturer. As a result, we have experienced delays ranging from 2 to 5 months for our scheduled deliveries in 2023."
Other incidents such as airplane damage from ground debris, severe weather, bird strikes and even from a burst tire, and a towing incident have compounded the operational situation, Cebu Pacific said.
"Moreover, Red Lightning Alerts have become more prevalent and are longer in duration this year," it added.
