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MANILA - Cebu Pacific on Tuesday touted its new Airbus A330neo, which it dubbed as its “ecoplane” as it took part in the Singapore Airshow.

The Philippines’ biggest airline said the A330neo has 25 percent less emissions than previous generation aircraft and is up to 15 percent “more efficient” than Airbus’ previous A330ceo.

Javier Massot, chief operating adviser of Cebu Pacific, said they plan to shift their entire jet fleet to the A330neo by 2027.

“So it’s going to contribute significantly to keep Cebu Pacific as the greenest airline in Asia,” Massot said in an interview with ANC’s Market Edge.

He added that shifting to the new more efficient aircraft will not just make the company more sustainable, but will also lower costs as fuel makes up to 70 percent of an airline’s operating cost.

With fuel prices on the rise, Massot said shifting to more efficient planes will also allow the Gokongwei-led carrier to be more competitive.

Meanwhile, Massot said they also expect travel to recover this year, with the airline reaching 60 percent of its passenger capacity by March.

“We are very optimistic with the signs we are seeing from the market,” Massot said.

International travel however will take longer to get back to normal, he said.

• Philippines to reopen borders to fully vaccinated foreign tourists beginning Thursday
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