Cebu Air, operator of Cebu Pacific, reported a 4.24% year‑on‑year increase in passenger traffic to 14.5 million in the first half of the year, driven by domestic demand.
June marked a return to growth despite the typical lean travel season, with the domestic network sustaining the rise while international volumes lagged due to earlier capacity adjustments, said the airline’s president and chief commercial officer.
Domestic passenger numbers climbed 4.92% to 10.87 million, up from 10.36 million in the same period last year.
International traffic grew 2.25% to 3.63 million passengers, modestly above the previous year’s 3.55 million.
The airline’s seat‑load factor fell 4.2 percentage points, reaching 81.2% compared with 85.4% in the first half of the prior year.
In June alone, total passenger traffic rose 2.69% to 2.29 million, with domestic travelers reaching 1.78 million while international passengers declined to 510,000 from 558,000 a year earlier.
Management expects continued passenger growth in the second half, citing lower fuel prices and improving consumer sentiment as factors that should boost operating performance.
The Civil Aeronautics Board reduced the passenger fuel surcharge to Level 8 for the latter half of July, marking the sixth consecutive reduction under its 15‑day review cycle.
The Department of Energy reported average daily fuel demand of 78.08 million liters as of early July, with jet fuel consumption at 5.65 million liters per day and supply sufficient for 80 days.
International Air Transport Association data showed jet fuel prices rose 2.1% week over week to $119.13 per barrel, still 32.3% above the level a year earlier.
Cebu Pacific announced a partnership to introduce satellite‑based inflight connectivity across its fleet by 2027, becoming the first low‑cost carrier in Southeast Asia to adopt Starlink’s direct‑to‑cell service.
The airline’s shares slipped marginally, closing at P28.95, down 0.17%.
