Cebu Pacific, the country’s top carrier by passenger volume, saw a steady recovery in travel demand this May, driven by cheaper ticket prices following a drop in fuel surcharges.
The budget airline reported flying 2.4 million passengers throughout the month. Although this represents a minor 1.3 percent decline compared to May last year, it reflects a 5.7 percent growth from the 2.27 million passengers recorded in April.
Local flights remained the company’s strongest market, making up 76 percent of total traffic with 1.83 million passengers, while international travel reached 575,000 as its yearly decline continued.
Cebu Pacific expanded its available seats by nine percent to 3.07 million, recording a seat load factor (SLF)—the percentage of filled seats—of 78.3 percent.
“May marked a meaningful improvement from April as SLF increased by 4 points, as commercial initiatives and pricing adjustments gained traction,” the company stated.
The travel rebound took place after the Civil Aeronautics Board lowered the aviation fuel surcharge from an all-time high of Level 19 in late April down to Level 15 by mid-May.
Alexander Lao, Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer, explained that the resulting fare cuts successfully re-energized bookings, showing the “market’s responsiveness to calibrated fare levels.”
Looking toward the upcoming months, the airline plans to carefully balance its operations against rising financial pressures.
“As we enter the seasonally softer third quarter, we are taking a disciplined approach to capacity and revenue management to match demand, support healthy load factors, and maintain affordable fares while managing elevated operating costs, particularly fuel,” Lao stated.
As part of an internal restructuring, the airline also revealed that its regional branch, CebGo, will assume management of flights run by its boutique subsidiary, AirSWIFT Transport Inc., starting July 1.
“During this transition, there will be no changes in AirSWIFT’s flight schedules and services, as flights to and from El Nido will continue as scheduled,” the airline assured.
Cebu Pacific bought AirSWIFT last year for ₱1.75 billion, a unit that carried 429,222 passengers over the course of 2025.
For the first five months of 2026, Cebu Pacific’s overall passenger traffic increased by 4.6 percent to 12.21 million. Domestic flyers grew 4.7 percent to 9.09 million, while the international sector expanded 4.5 percent to 3.12 million.
Total capacity for the five-month period rose 10.2 percent to 15.13 million seats, maintaining an average year-to-date seat load factor of 80.7 percent.