Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced on Wednesday it has signed an agreement with flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing low-cost airline, to explore various joint strategic commercial initiatives.
The agreement encompasses a wide range of opportunities for commercial cooperation, as well as support in maintenance and engineering.
Flyadeal will use two of CEB’s aircraft under a wet-lease arrangement for the upcoming summer peak flying season in Saudi Arabia. In return, CEB is considering wet-leasing flyadeal aircraft during the busy winter period in Southeast Asia at the end of the year.
Flyadeal’s Chief Executive Officer, Steven Greenway, and Cebu Pacific’s CEO, Mike Szucs, outlined plans for a phased cooperation that will begin with the wet-lease arrangement.
Discussions between the two airlines started earlier this year when Greenway and a flyadeal delegation visited Manila to learn more about CEB’s operations involving the A330-900neo.
Recently, flyadeal announced plans to enter the long-haul market with an order for 10 A330 widebody aircraft, which will be deployed between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, as well as throughout Southeast Asia starting in 2027.
“Today’s agreement is significant as it marks flyadeal’s first-ever strategic airline partnership. It is evident that flyadeal can gain valuable insights from Cebu Pacific’s experience with low-cost long-haul operations, especially since we will be adding the same A330-900neos to our fleet in just two years. Sharing technical knowledge, training, and best practices will greatly benefit our preparation for this aircraft induction, particularly as we are both A320 operators,” Greenway stated.
“This serves as the starting point for extensive commercial discussions covering a variety of areas, including the immediate need for wet-leasing aircraft during flyadeal’s busy summer season. It’s a win-win situation, as bringing in Cebu Pacific aircraft during our peak period benefits both sides. Conversely, Mike and his team can consider utilizing our aircraft for their winter peak later this year,” he added.
Szucs remarked, “With Cebu Pacific’s growing fleet, we aim to maximize the potential of our increased capacity throughout the year. By allowing other carriers to utilize our capacity during our lean season, we can achieve this goal.”
“This partnership with flyadeal underscores Cebu Pacific’s growing ability to support international carriers through wet leasing and broader operational collaboration. It diversifies our revenue streams and enhances Cebu Pacific’s presence beyond the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
