Cebu Pacific and flyadeal have agreed to work together through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on May 28, 2025, in Manila. The agreement sets the path for both airlines to explore joint commercial efforts and technical support. The initial phase of the partnership involves a wet-lease deal in which flyadeal will operate two Airbus A320 aircraft from Cebu Pacific for the upcoming summer travel period in Saudi Arabia.
In return, Cebu Pacific plans to assess the wet-lease of flyadeal’s A320 aircraft during the high-demand winter travel months in Southeast Asia. The plan supports each airline’s goal of meeting seasonal demand while utilizing available fleet capacity efficiently.
The MoU was signed at a joint press conference attended by Cebu Pacific CEO Mike Szucs and flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway. Both leaders outlined how the new partnership would start with wet leasing but eventually move into broader areas of cooperation.
Discussions began earlier this year after Greenway and a flyadeal team visited Manila to learn more about Cebu Pacific’s A330-900neo operations. The visit was part of flyadeal’s preparation for its own future long-haul services, as it has ordered 10 A330 aircraft. These widebody jets will be used for flights between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines and across Southeast Asia, with operations expected to begin in 2027.
Greenway said, “Today’s agreement is momentous as it marks flyadeal’s first ever strategic airline partnership. It was clear and obvious that flyadeal could learn a lot from Cebu Pacific’s experience of low-cost long-haul operations given we will be inducting the same A330-900neos into our fleet in just two years’ time. There are great benefits in sharing technical knowledge, training, and best practice in preparation for our A330 induction and, of course, we are both A320 operators.”
He added that their cooperation will benefit both airlines during their respective peak seasons. “This was the starting point for wide-ranging commercial discussions covering a broad range of areas including more immediate needs of wet-leasing aircraft for flyadeal’s busy upcoming summer season. A win, win situation all round to bring in Cebu Pacific aircraft during our peak period and vice versa for Mike and his team to explore taking our aircraft for their winter peak later this year.”
Expanding presence and sharing operations
Cebu Pacific sees the partnership as an opportunity to better use its expanding fleet. Szucs stated, “With Cebu Pacific’s growing fleet, we seek to maximize the potential of our increased capacity through all months of the year. The utilization of our capacity by other carriers during our lean season is a way of achieving that.”
Szucs also noted that this cooperation opens up new income sources while helping Cebu Pacific grow its presence beyond Southeast Asia. “This partnership with flyadeal highlights Cebu Pacific’s growing capability to support international carriers through wet leasing and broader operational collaboration. It diversifies our revenue streams and further expands Cebu Pacific’s presence beyond the Asia Pacific region.”
Both airlines plan to meet regularly over the coming months to organize their joint activities. Their teams will look at how to expand the partnership beyond leasing to include support in engineering and maintenance, as well as shared training.
The MoU sets a clear direction for Cebu Pacific and flyadeal to improve fleet use, build on each other’s experience, and expand their operations in a practical and cost-effective way.
