MANILA — Avion Express Philippines has been launched in the country as a new player in the aviation sector.

It vowed to help the local aviation industry by offering ACMI or known in aviation as Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance. 

Its business is to offer aircraft for lease to airlines to address the growing travel demand in the country.

Avion Express is under the Avia Solutions Group which has over 200 aircraft globally. 

The company has been leasing aircraft to dozens of airlines, particularly in Asia and South America. It also has presence in Vietnam and other key cities.

“Philippines is one of the sizable markets in Asia Pacific. We believe that we can be useful for the local carriers to providing non expensive tickets during the peak season. Much more tickets than they can provide with their own fleet, but adding our fleet, they can sell much more tickets for a reasonable price,” said Avia Solutions Group Chairman Gediminias Ziemelis

The Philippine unit plans to own at least two aircraft this year which will be registered in the Philippines. It targets three planes per year and at least 15 aircraft in the next 5 years.

Avion Express Philippines CEO Rene Philip Banzon said they have already talked to various local carriers. Leasing an aircraft is a global practice which Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific did in recent years due to supply chain issues which grounded many aircraft.

But Banzon said the local airlines previously would lease from foreign carriers, now they can do so with a local company with local crew members. And the process would be quicker and airlines may also decide to repaint or reconfigure the jet or not.

“We’re going to be the first one that is really Philippine-based with locally registered aircraft. It’s really plug and play… You just put the specs in your approval and then you can fly tomorrow,” Banzon added.

Though they will have only two planes this year, Banzon said if demand grows, they can always get aircraft from the mother company. He added that the number of passengers is seasonal so when it’s winter in Europe, there is lower travel demand, so aircraft can be deployed to other countries like the Philippines where December travel is always at its peak.

This model also works if airlines would want to experiment on a new destination.

Banzon said, “Other airlines may want to try a new route. It’s a trial. It’s good to use a leased aircraft for three months. Because if it didn’t work, you can return the aircraft.”

He added they can also lease their aircraft to foreign carriers. This business is also beneficial to airlines who have ordered aircraft, but the delivery would still take many years.

Various government agencies welcome the arrival of the new company saying this will further boost the local tourism industry. But they assert that regulatory procedures must always be followed.

Civil Aeronautics Board Deputy Executive Director Maria Elben Moro said, “It is important  there be a regulatory framework for ACMI arrangements to ensure that safety is maintained to the highest standard and that efficiency and direct competition in the industry are likewise maintained.”

She added, “The regulation requires that passengers must be properly and adequately informed about the ACMI arrangement, which airline is operating the flight, and which airline is liable in cases of service disruptions, claims, or complaints.”

Avion Express Philippines vowed to follow Philippine regulatory processes and they also assure the public all their aircraft undergo strict safety procedures. In fact, in all of the hundreds of aircraft of the global firm, they said, there has been no accident reported.