expansion

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said Thursday it is optimistic about its 2023 outlook amid inflationary headwinds and the war in Ukraine which caused global economic instability.

“The company’s business remains strong, and we continue to be very prudent in our actions and are watching very closely our costs and managing each and every terminal. We believe that these problems will continue for the foreseeable future, but the company will overcome them eventually,” ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon Jr. said during the company’s virtual annual stockholders’ meeting.

Razon said 2022 was a “relatively quiet year” for acquiring new terminals, but “we expect that to change in the near future.”

“On the other hand, we undertook expansion projects at the MICT [Manila International Container Terminal], VICT [Victoria International Container Terminal] in Australia and Contecon Manzanillo in Mexico likewise for Matadi Gateway Terminal (MGT) in DR Congo and OMT in Nigeria,” he said.

“In July, we acquired majority ownership of a multi-purpose terminal in Lamongan Regency, East Java, Indonesia. The East Java Multipurpose Terminal is our 11th terminal in Asia Pacific,” Razon said. Darwin G. Amojelar

CEBU Pacific said Thursday it took delivery of its 10th Airbus 320neo aircraft as part of the airline’s goal to transition to a more fuel-efficient new engine option fleet by 2028.

“The delivery of our 10th A320neo aircraft, powered by sustainable aviation fuel, highlights Cebu Pacific’s commitment to become one of the greenest airline in Asia. We continue to invest on these fuel-efficient NEO aircraft and incorporate SAF in our operations,” said Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer Alex Reyes.

The aircraft used sustainable aviation fuel to fly from the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse, France to the

Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. It is the second of the airline’s 10 expected Airbus NEO deliveries for 2023. SAF is a drop-in fuel, with similar characteristics as conventional jet fuels. It does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or engines and does not have any negative impact on performance. The use of SAF results in up to 80-percent reduction in carbon emissions across the fuel’s lifecycle. Cebu Pacific is the first low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia to incorporate SAF into its operations when it received its third A330neo in May 2022.

The airline expects to take delivery of eight more Airbus NEO aircraft this year including one A320neo, three A321neo and four A330neo.

Cebu Pacific’s sustainability goal is in line with global aviation’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The airline has made various investments that enable it to become fuelefficient in its operations to keep fares affordable for passengers.

Apart from fleet modernization, the airline’s major pillars on its sustainable journey are resource optimization, which includes pushing for fuel efficiency best practices and incorporating SAF in its operations.

Cebu Pacific’s fleet includes 30 A320s, 17 A321s, 5 A330s and 16 ATRs. With Joel E. Zurbano