November 1, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s largest carrier is entering another lease agreement for two single-aisle jets, tapping into Bulgaria Air’s fleet again for the peak demand during the holiday season.
In a deal signed with flag carrier Bulgaria Air, Cebu Pacific said it is leasing two Airbus A320s to meet the demand boom between December and January.
Cebu Pacific said it would deploy the two aircraft to four routes, namely, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro.
The A320s will feature 180 seats each, scaling up Cebu Pacific’s capacity for the holidays. Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the airline wants to stay ahead of the demand, so it decided to lease again from Bulgaria Air.
“We are continuously exploring ways to expand our fleet and ensure operational efficiency. Our damp lease agreement with Bulgaria Air allows us to meet strong travel demand from December 2025 to January 2026,” Lao said.
In 2024 Cebu Pacific entered into a similar agreement with Bulgaria Air, marking a rare instance where a Philippine carrier leased aircraft for fleet requirements.
At the time, Cebu Pacific was forced to lease jets from Bulgaria Air to make up for the absence of some of its aircraft that were grounded by a supply shortage.
The difference, however, was that Cebu Pacific’s earlier lease lasted for roughly half a year given the struggle back then to recover aircraft from the maintenance yard.
Cebu Pacific chose Bulgaria Air as its lessee because of its history of completing similar deals in the past with other airlines. Under the damp lease, Bulgaria Air will provide the aircraft, pilots, maintenance and insurance, while Cebu Pacific will rely on its cabin crew.
Bulgaria Air chairman Hristo Todorov assured Filipinos of the best flight quality on the airline’s aircraft. He said Bulgaria Air has agreed to partner with Cebu Pacific again following the successful collaboration they had last year.
“This collaboration is yet another testament to the high level of trust and professionalism that our team delivers in the implementation of our international leasing projects,” Todorov said.
As of September, Cebu Pacific has flown almost 20 million passengers, needing only 10 million to reach its target of 30 million for the year.