MANILA - AirAsia Philippines on Tuesday said there was a strong demand for flights as Metro Manila and majority of the airline's destinations shifted to Alert Level 1.

Even before the lowering of the alert level, AirAsia Philippines said it already booked 145,978 seats for travels from March 1 to 31, representing an increase of 131 percent from the same month in 2021.

“AirAsia Philippines attributes this significant increase to revenge traveling with relaxed travel protocols being implemented in most of its destinations. In fact, we are looking forward to sustaining full capacity in time for the various festivities in the different provinces we fly to,” said AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan.

The airline said the Malay-Boracay Tourism Office recorded 47,500 local and foreign tourist arrivals in the island for the month of February alone.

"The Bohol Tourism Office also reported the same buoyancy as it recorded 4,196 tourist arrivals in January. Puerto Princesa Tourism Office on the other hand recorded 1,158 tourist arrivals from December 2021 to February 2022," the company said.

AirAsia said it is currently holding a seat sale with tickets as low as P233 one-way base fare for popular destinations such as Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Davao and Cagayan De Oro.

“We are confident that summer 2022 is really the onset of recovery not only for AirAsia Philippines, but also to all other airlines in the country. We expect travel to flourish especially with different festive seasons we have from April to May," Dailisan said.

The airline is also expecting a sustained demand until May due to voters coming home to the provinces in preparation for the May 2022 elections.

• Metro Manila, 38 other areas to shift to Alert Level 1 starting March 1 - Palace
• More than 21,000 foreign travelers visit Philippines: DOT

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