Cebu Pac posts 13% jump in passenger traffic

Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s biggest budget airline, saw a double-digit increase in passenger traffic in the first month of 2016, signaling continued strong demand for air travel.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific yesterday said it had carried 1.6 million passengers in January this year, up 13 percent from year-ago level.

The carrier, a unit of Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Inc., said its passenger load during the period was at 86 percent. As travelers were returning home from the holidays on Jan. 3, Cebu Pacific Air group ferried more than 62,900 passengers—the highest number of passengers carried in a single day.

“We will continue to expand our network and flight frequency to meet the growing demand for air travel,” said Paterno Mantaring, Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs.

Cebu Pacific said gains were partly due to its efforts to expand its network and its market share. Based on internal estimates, Cebu holds about 58 percent of the total domestic market share in January 2016.

The airline’s record passenger load continued into the first half of February this year, with more than 1.1 million guests flown from Feb. 1 to Feb. 21—a 19-percent growth compared to year-ago level,  the airline said.

Cebu Pacific flies services more than 90 routes in 64 destinations, spanning Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. It is slated to launch direct flights between Manila and Guam, its first United States destination, on March 15, 2016.