boutique career sunlight breeze According to its top executive, it plans to lease larger jets by 2027 for service on international routes as part of its fleet expansion programme.
“We're planning for 2027. We're looking at some narrow-body jets,” Sunlight Air Chief Executive Rayna C. Brito-Garcia told reporters at the airline's plane launch last week.
The announcement came as the airline welcomed its latest aircraft – the ATR 72-600 – and increased its fleet to four.
The aircraft will be deployed on its existing domestic routes, including Clark-Siargao, Siargao-Cebu, Cebu-Busuanga, and Busuanga-Clark, and on the new Cebu-Siquijor route, which will operate four times a week starting in December.
Ms Brito-Garcia said the modernized ATR 72-600 complements Sunlight Air's three ATR 72-500, providing better performance for short-haul regional operations.
He said, “This new aircraft is an example of the airline's growth over the past few years. This fleet expansion is in line with our plans to continually improve Sunlight Air's services and ultimately expand our route offerings.”
For the short term, the airline aims to refurbish and upgrade its existing ATR 72-500 aircraft to ATR 72-600 units by next year.
Looking ahead, Sunlight Air is evaluating the acquisition or lease of narrow-body regional jets to tap the overseas travel market.
“There are plans to acquire or lease regional jets. And when that happens, there are definitely plans to serve foreign travelers coming to the Philippines,” Ms. Brito-Garcia said. “It is very important for us to bring more people to our country's various island destinations.”
With its growing fleet, Sunlight Air is projecting 20% to 30% passenger growth in 2026.
The airline, operated by Sunlight Express Airways Corp, carried 96,728 passengers in the first half of 2025, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) data showed.
“Currently, this year alone we are already at about 200,000 passengers. The peak season is coming, so we are aiming to increase our passenger numbers by 20% to 30% next year,” Ms Brito-Garcia said.
Sunlight Air operates from Clark, Cebu and Manila, flying to domestic destinations such as Boracay, Coron (Busuanga), Siargao and Cagayan de Oro, and also offers private charter services. , Ashley Erica O. jose
