Cebu Pacific turns in surprise as air traffic grows in August

MANILA, Philippines —  In one of the most weather-disturbed months of the year, it is normal for air travel to decline, but low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific pulled a two-percent traffic growth instead in August.

Based on its August traffic performance report, Cebu Pacific hiked its passenger volume by two percent to 2.14 million, from 2.1 million a year ago, lifted by domestic travel.

Further, Cebu Pacific’s load factor, measured as seats booked against available capacity, climbed to 84.8 percent, from 83.7 percent, as Filipinos braved the bad weather to pursue their journeys.

Domestic passenger count went up by four percent to 1.62 million, as Filipinos started to adjust to the fare environment with elevated fuel surcharges. International passenger volume dipped by three percent to 523,000.

Still, Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said international traffic is beginning to pick up in select routes. Nearer markets, particularly Bali and Seoul, are drawing more interest.

“International load factor continued to strengthen, reflecting healthy passenger demand, although overall international traffic remains below the prior levels due to the capacity reductions that we implemented,” Szucs said.

To date, Cebu Pacific’s passenger volume has gone up by four percent to 18.86 million, putting it on track to beat its record 26.88 million in 2025.

The airline owned by the Gokongweis needs to fly at least eight million passengers in the remaining months of the year, which is traditionally the peak season for air travel.

Between January and August, Cebu Pacific flew 14.22 million passengers domestically, a growth of five percent, and 4.64 million guests overseas, a one-percent uptick. It plans to raise capacity in the fourth quarter for the holiday demand.

Cebu Pacific is mounting Cebu flights to Shanghai and Nagoya and resuming Manila services to Xiamen starting November. The carrier will also reinstate overseas flights from Davao and Iloilo.

Challenging the capacity boost is the increasing fuel surcharge, which has gone up to Level 14 in the second half of September, because of rising petroleum prices.

“As we approach the yearend travel season, we will remain disciplined in managing our capacity, balancing our growth opportunities with the evolving fuel cost environment,” Szucs said.