BOUTIQUE CARRIER Sunlight Air plans to lease larger jets by 2027 to serve international routes as part of its fleet expansion program, according to its top executive.
“We are planning that for 2027. We are looking at some narrow-body jets,” Sunlight Air Chief Executive Officer Ryna C. Brito-Garcia told reporters on the sidelines of the airline’s aircraft launch last week.
The announcement came as the airline welcomed its newest aircraft — an ATR 72-600 — expanding 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 weekly starting December.
Ms. Brito-Garcia said the modern ATR 72-600 complements Sunlight Air’s three ATR 72-500s, providing improved performance for short-haul regional operations.
“This new aircraft is one manifestation of the airline’s growth over the past few years. This fleet expansion aligns with our plans to continuously improve Sunlight Air’s services and eventually expand our route offerings,” she said.
For the short term, the airline aims to renew 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 leasing of narrow-body regional jets to tap the foreign travel market.
“There are plans of acquiring or leasing regional jets. And when that happens, there’s definitely a plan of servicing foreign travelers coming into the Philippines,” Ms. Brito-Garcia said. “It’s very important for us that we bring more people to the different island destinations of our country.”
With its growing fleet, Sunlight Air is projecting 20% to 30% passenger growth in 2026.
Data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed that the airline, operated by Sunlight Express Airways Corp., carried 96,728 passengers in the first half of 2025.
“Currently, we are already at around 200,000 passengers for this year alone. The peak season is coming, so we are targeting to increase our passenger count 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 Erika O. Jose
