Airphil Express Assures Safety Despite EU Ban

On Wednesday, low-cost carrier Airphil Express assured its passengers and the riding public that flying by air is still one of the safest modes of transportation in the Philippines. Airphil Express issued the statement amidst the recent decision by the European Commission’s air safety committee to ban all Philippine carriers from flying to member-states of the European Union.

"While no Philippine carrier currently flies to any point in Europe, we wish to assure the riding public that our planes are well-maintained and adhere to a strict maintenance policy that puts a premium on passenger comfort and safety," said Airphil president David Lim.

He explained that while the EC ban has no direct effect on local airlines, it gives the impression that Philippine carriers are unsafe.

"Airphil Express is committed to safety. In fact, that is precisely the reason why we are uncompromising when it comes to aircraft maintenance. We also continue to boost our fleet with the acquisition of new jet aircraft in addition to our well-maintained fleet of turboprop airplanes," said Lim.

Three days ago, the former Air Philippines relaunched itself under the brand name Airphil Express, signaling its entry into the budget airline business.

It took delivery of two Airbus A320s which sport the new Airphil Express livery and configured monoclass with 177 seats. The new jet aircraft began flying from Manila to Iloilo, Bacolod, Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro last 28 March.

Taipan Lucio Tan, chairman of Airphil’s sister firm Philippine Airlines, said Airphil Express is acquiring a total of 20 new airplanes over the next four years, in addition to the current fleet of eight Bombardier Q400 and Q300 turboprop aircraft. Aside from the two leased narrow-body jets, four brand-new A320s will also be delivered from Airbus manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France between September and November 2010. Four more aircraft will join the fleet next year, five aircraft in 2012 and another five in 2013.

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