MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific has reached the 18-million passenger mark in August, putting it on track to achieve its target for the year.
Based on its traffic performance, Cebu Pacific carried 2.1 million passengers in August, slightly down from a year ago’s 2.11 million.
Still, Cebu Pacific raised its load factor, measured as seats booked against available slots, from 81.3 percent to 83.7 percent during the period.
While the Gokongwei-owned airline sustained a four percent decline in domestic passenger volume to 1.56 million, this was offset by the 13 percent increase in international passenger traffic to 541,000.
Thus, Cebu Pacific remains on the growth path on a yearly basis and is now going into the holiday season when demand would peak. The carrier raised its passenger traffic by 15 percent to 18.1 million from January to August, from 15.7 million a year ago.
The number of domestic passengers grew by 14 percent to 13.5 million, while international passenger volume jumped by 19 percent to 4.6 million.
For the year, Cebu Pacific aims to grow its passenger numbers by 20 percent from its record 24.5 million in 2024, which would enable the airline to flirt with the 30-million level.
As of August, Cebu Pacific has sustained its load factor at 85.2 percent, meaning at least eight in 10 seats are booked every flight.
Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said he expects travel demand to pick up pace starting this September. The airline is gearing up for peak demand and is set to get more aircraft to support its plan of adding flights.
“The softer year-on-year traffic in August reflects the usual lean travel season in the Philippines, particularly for domestic routes, while international passenger growth remained strong. We see it as an expected and temporary dip, with traffic rebounding in the fourth quarter as the peak travel season begins and aircraft availability improves,” Szucs said.
As part of its holiday response, Cebu Pacific is deploying widebody aircraft for Manila flights to Iloilo by October, as well as to Puerto Princesa and Bohol by November.
Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest airline by fleet and passenger size, serves the widest domestic network among local carriers, able to fly to 37 local destinations and 26 cities overseas.