After covering more destinations and flying more often, flag carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) is back in the black, netting P1.82 billion for the first half of 2009 on gross revenues of P11.39 billion, up 21.3 percent growth from last year’s P9.39 billion. CEB lost P15.66 million in 2008.

Parent company JG Summit Holdings Inc. (JGSHI) declared that the low-fare airline’s profitability for this first semester was largely due to additional routes, increase in flight frequencies and capacity due to recently acquired additional Airbus A320 and ATR72-500.

The airline currently operates the newest fleet in the country, composed of 21 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft as well as 8 ATR72-500 aircraft. It expects delivery of 17 more Airbus and two ATR aircraft from the last quarter of 2009 until 2014.

Recently, CEB increased its Manila-Hong Kong service to four times daily, its Manila-Singapore service to thrice daily and its Manila-Kuala Lumpur service to daily flights.