Cebu Pacific is selling its two ATR freighters as its shifts back to an all-passenger fleet while continuing to serve the cargo market using belly capacity.
The Philippine low-cost carrier announced its intention to convert two of its passenger ATR 72-500 turboprops into freighters in 2018, taking delivery of its first example in 2019 and the second in 2020.
“These 72-500s we will be stepping out of – it’s a niche market. They are great aircraft but somebody else will do a better job of it than we will,” Cebu Pacific chief executive Mike Szucs told FlightGlobal at Farnborough air show on 22 July. The carrier had earlier that day held a ceremony to mark its recently announced memorandum of understanding for the purchase of up to 152 A321neos.
Szucs notes that while the freighters were “brilliant for us” during the pandemic when passenger aircraft were not flying, the post-Covid market is different.
“Now [the pandemic is] over and… all the freight is going into the bellyspace of the passenger aircraft,” he states, adding that selling the freighters will enable the carrier to focus on being “even better” with its passenger operations.
The two ATR freighters feature large cargo doors and can carry up to 8 tonnes of cargo.
