Cebu Pacific passengers up 6.2% to 2.7M in January

MANILA, Philippines — Cebu Pacific recorded a 6.2-percent increase in passenger traffic in January, with holiday travel demand spilling over into the start of the year, alongside expanded seat capacity.

In a disclosure on Friday, the Gokongwei-led low-cost carrier said it had carried 2.73 million passengers in January, up from 2.57 million in the same month last year.

Seats offered by the airline rose 9.9 percent to 3.27 million in January from 2.97 million a year earlier.

However, Cebu Pacific’s seat load factor — the ratio of passengers to available seats — dipped to 83.6 percent from 86.5 percent a year earlier.

READ: Cebu Pacific @30: Celebrating the journey, not the destination

Still, the airline said the load factor remained “healthy” and reflected “continued demand absorption.”

“Cebu Pacific’s strong January 2026 performance demonstrates the resilience of underlying travel demand and the effectiveness of our capacity deployment strategy,” said Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer at Cebu Pacific.

International route

Traffic on international routes grew 9.4 percent year-on-year to 723,000 from 661,000. On the other hand, domestic passengers rose 5.1 percent to 2 million from 1.91 million previously.

“The increase in passenger volumes across both domestic and international segments highlights the market’s confidence in our network and value proposition,” Lao said.

Cebu Pacific’s January traffic reflected broader gains at the country’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), which handled 4.96 million passengers, its highest monthly total on record.

READ: Naia logged record 4.96M passengers in January

The airport reported an 8.16-percent increase in international passengers and a 3.16-percent rise in domestic volumes.

Upbeat

Cebu Pacific expects passenger numbers to further increase in March as it completes the transfer of its turboprop operations out of Naia, allowing it to deploy more jet services. The move will add weekly jet frequencies on nine domestic routes and two international routes.

READ: Cebu Pacific completing turboprop exit from NAIA by March

The airline currently serves 37 domestic and 26 international destinations with a fleet of 100 aircraft.

“As we continue to optimize fleet utilization and expand seat supply, we remain confident in our ability to capture growth opportunities, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver sustained value to our customers and stakeholders,” Lao said. /dda