MANILA, Philippines - Cebu Air, Inc. is planning to boost its regional network in Asia Pacific and Australia by increasing or adding new routes to and from Singapore, Beijing, Brunei, Australia and Japan.

Cebu Pacific already flies to 13 international destinations, namely: Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Incheon, Busan, Osaka, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta and Bangkok.

The Gokongwei-led airline, operating under the Cebu Pacific brand, has recently filed its application with the Civil Aeronautics Board for additional 900 seats to its Manila-Singapore route.

Currently, Cebu Pacific flies 3 times daily to Singapore. The additional seats will increase its frequency to 4 times daily.

The CAB recently granted Cebu Pacific's request to fly to Beijing, its newest route in China. The third largest low-cost carrier in Asia is aiming to launch 3-times-a-week flights to Beijing with its Airbus A320 planes.

The airline's vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said CAB has yet to formally advise the airline when it could start mounting flights to Beijing.

"At the moment, (Beijing) is still part of our route network study since we haven't got confirmation yet," she said.

Normally, it takes at least 3 months from the time of the approval of the application from both countries before Cebu Pacific can start mounting flights to new destinations.

Iyog explained that the regulator’s nod for new or additional flights is part of the expansion process. "There's a lot to work on. It's still a long wait away. There's the set-up of distribution channels, availability of aircraft, and the needed time to sell the new route. First and foremost we need to obtain the rights which we did by filing an application and from there we will work on the final details upon approval," explained Iyog.

The airline has pending applications to service new destinations such as Brunei and Australia and new routes in Japan.