ZestAir, a Philippine domestic carrier, intends to go regional once it takes delivery of a new Airbus A320 single-aisle aircraft next month and an A330 by year-end or early 2010.
The carrier, originally founded as Asian Spirit in 1995, was sold last year to consumer goods magnate Alfredo Yao. It was renamed ZestAir after his best selling Zest-O juice drinks, which are offered onboard and referred to in some taglines on its website such as "refreshing destinations".
ZestAir works out of its Manila, Clark and Cebu hubs to serve some 18 points around the country, including Caticlan, gateway to the world-famous Boracay resort island. The current fleet consists of two A320-232s and five Xian MA60s, with an additional six MA60s on order.
Leveric Ng, ZestAir vice-president for marketing, told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific they were keen to fly to Singapore, Hongkong, Shanghai, Fukuoka, Osaka, Macau and Seoul.
In recent years, the liberalisation of Philippine aviation policies has resulted in the emergence of airlines – mostly low-cost carrier types – such as Cebu Pacific and Southeast Asian Airlines (SEA Air), who are giving legacy carrier Philippine Airlines a run for its money with aggressive expansion and marketing tactics
For more details about ZestAir, visit www.zestair.com.ph
Margie T Logarta
