Cebu Pacific turns in surprise as air traffic grows in August

Manila, Philippines — Despite the challenging weather conditions in August, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific managed to increase its air travel traffic by two percent, according to its August performance report. The airline saw a passenger volume growth of two percent, reaching 2.14 million passengers, up from 2.1 million in the previous year. This increase was primarily due to domestic travel.

Cebu Pacific's load factor, which represents the number of seats booked relative to the available capacity, improved to 84.8 percent from 83.7 percent as Filipinos braved adverse weather conditions to embark on their journeys. Domestic passenger numbers rose by four percent to 1.62 million, while international traffic declined by three percent to 523,000.

However, Cebu Pacific's CEO Michael Szucs remains optimistic about the future, stating that international demand is gradually picking up on select routes, particularly to Bali and Seoul.

Szucs added that the airline's overall international load factor continues to improve, indicating healthy passenger demand, although international traffic remains below previous levels due to capacity reductions implemented by Cebu Pacific. As of now, Cebu Pacific's passenger volume has grown by four percent to 18.86 million, putting the company on track to surpass its record 26.88 million passengers in 2025.

To achieve this goal, the airline needs to fly eight million passengers in the remaining months of the year, a traditionally busy period for air travel.

Between January and August, Cebu Pacific operated 14.22 million domestic flights, marking a five percent increase, and 4.64 million international flights, a one percent increase. The airline plans to expand its capacity in the fourth quarter to accommodate the holiday travel demand. Cebu Pacific is set to launch Cebu flights to Shanghai and Nagoya and resume Manila services to Xiamen starting in November.

Additionally, the carrier will reintroduce overseas flights from Davao and Iloilo. Despite the anticipated capacity boost, Cebu Pacific must navigate the rising fuel surcharge, which has risen to Level 14 in the second half of September due to escalating petroleum prices. Szucs emphasized the company's commitment to managing its capacity carefully, balancing growth opportunities with the evolving fuel cost environment as they approach the year-end travel season.