Philippines’ Sunlight Air secures AOC, launches

Sunlight Air (Manila Ninoy Aquino Int’l) commenced revenue services on December 24 shortly after it was awarded its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). The carrier’s inaugural flights operated from Manila Ninoy Aquino Int’l to Busuanga on behalf of tour operator Asia Pacific Travel and island resort SETIR, which is owned by Sunlight Hotels and Resorts, a company linked to the airline. Speaking during the carrier’s official launch on December 17, Chief Executive Ryna Brito said that Sunlight Air, “a boutique charter airline”, was borne out of a shortage of capacity to most in-demand domestic resorts, which has led to inflated prices for available services. She said that as a result, many Filipino tourists were travelling abroad because it was cheaper. Besides Busuanga, the airline is also targeting Clark, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao, Bongao, Panglao, and Caticlan as key domestic destinations, with services due to launch in 2021. Sunlight Air plans to cater both to domestic tourists and international travellers in the future. In an effort to limit the risk of COVID exposure, the start-up will cap loads on its flights to 70% while offering other benefits, including discounted PCR tests and pre-departure free antigen tests in its own airport lounges. Initially, the airline will only operate charter flights on behalf of tour operators with no individual tickets for sale. However, Brito said that it plans to add scheduled services in the near future. Sunlight Air was incorporated in July 2019 and initially hoped to launch in early 2020. These plans were delayed by the COVID-related closure of the Filipino tourism industry. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the airline currently owns and operates three ex-Bangkok Airways ATR72-500s. Brito told Smart Aviation-APAC that the start-up had bought a hangar at Manila airport and was in the process of certifying itself as an approved maintenance operator. She expects the certification to complete in mid-2021, when Sunlight Air will be able to conduct in-house maintenance of its fleet. Going forward, the carrier hopes to add more ATR72-500s or possibly upgrade to ATR72-600s within the next two years.