Cebu Pacific expects a 15-percent increase in passenger volume in 2025 after a strong first half, which saw the airline fly 13.9 million passengers, a 21-percent jump from a year earlier, top executives said Thursday night.
The budget carrier, a unit of the Gokongwei Group, plans to add more flights to local and international destinations, with a focus on routes within a five-hour flight radius, Alexander Lao, Cebu Pacific’s president and chief commercial officer, told editors in a briefing at the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.
The airline, which has hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, Davao and Iloilo, operates in 37 domestic and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
Cebu Pacific recently became the first local carrier to operate a 100-strong fleet with the delivery of a new A330neo, its 12th of the model. The airline said this makes it the largest A330neo operator in the Asia-Pacific region. It expects to take delivery of seven aircraft in 2025.
In the first half of 2025, Cebu Pacific’s net income surged 153 percent to P8.97 billion from P3.54 billion a year ago, driven by strong passenger growth and cost management. Revenues climbed 23.1 percent to P63.33 billion from P51.43 billion.
Passenger revenues rose 24 percent to P44.23 billion, while cargo revenues increased 33.3 percent to P3.51 billion.
Chief financial officer Mark Julius Cezar said the company’s investments in modern aircraft, such as the Airbus NEOs, helped cut fuel costs, which are the bulk of the airline’s expenses. The airline said the latest-generation aircraft burn up to 25 percent less fuel and produce less noise.
However, the airline noted that the weakening of the peso against the US dollar contributed to an increase in its operating expenses.
In the second quarter, the airline flew 7 million passengers, up 16 percent year-on-year, with domestic traffic rising 14 percent to over 5.1 million and international traffic jumping 23 percent to 1.8 million. The company said this was supported by the April Easter holiday and a strong peak travel season, which pushed its seat load factor to 85.9 percent.
Cebu Pacific’s fleet includes 12 Airbus A330s, 40 Airbus A320s, 26 Airbus A321s and 22 ATR turboprop aircraft. The airline signed firm orders with Airbus in October 2024 for 102 A321neo and 50 A320neo family purchase rights.
