Cebu Pacific remains the country’s largest airline in terms of passengers flown on domestic routes last year, Civil Aeronautics Board said.
Data from the CAB showed the budget airline owned by industrialist John Gokongwei carried 11.4 million passengers in 2015 from 11.08 million passengers a year ago.
Cebu Pacific cornered 52 percent of the domestic market.
Cebgo, formerly Tiger Airways Philippines, reported total domestic passengers of 1.69 million last year, up from 1.30 million passengers last year.
Rival Philippine Airlines posted total domestic passengers of 1.67 million passengers from 793,512 passengers in 2014.
PAL’s sister company PAL Express carried 4.70 million passengers in 2015 from 5.13 million passengers a year ago.
Philippines Air Asia Inc. flew 2.18 million passengers,up 29 percent from 1.69 million passengers in 2014.
Air Asia, meanwhile, carried 272,755 passengers from 283,896 passengers in 2014.
The total domestic passengers in 2015 stood at 22.08 million, an increase of 8.5 percent from last year’s 20.35 million passengers.
In terms of cargo, the local airlines carried a total 272.71 million kilograms in 2015 from 250.68 million kgs in 2014.
Cebu Pacific carried 118.95 million kilograms, followed by PAL Express, 67.86 million kgs; PAL, 50.71 million kgs; Cebgo, 16.66 million kgs; AirAsia Zest, 16.68 million kgs; and AirAsia, 1.24 million kgs.
Cebu Pacific earlier said the opening of new destinations such as Guam in Western Pacific would enable the airline to increase total passengers by 9 percent to nearly 20 million in 2016.
Darwin G. Amojelar
“This year, I think in terms of target, we are looking at close to 20 million passengers,” Cebu Air Inc. vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog told reporters.
Cebu Pacific carried 18.4 million passengers, including those of unit Cebgo in 2015.
Iyog said the growth in passenger volume this year would be driven by the airline’s new domestic and regional routes.