Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ leading airline, today announced its operating statistics for September 2025, reporting continued year-on-year growth in passenger traffic and strong year-to-date performance, surpassing the 20 million passenger mark for the first nine months of the year.
For September 2025, CEB flew 1.8 million passengers, marking a 2.6% year-on-year (YoY) increase. This growth was primarily fueled by sustained demand across its network and an expanded total seat capacity of 4.4%. The resulting seat load factor (SLF) for the month stood at 81.1%, slightly down from 82.6% the previous year, reflecting the carrier’s strategic capacity expansion.
Domestic passenger volume increased by 1.3% YoY, resulting in a domestic SLF of 83.7%. International passenger traffic saw stronger momentum, growing by 6.7% YoY. This international growth came alongside an 11.2% increase in international seat capacity, bringing the international SLF to 73.9%.
CEB’s cumulative performance for the first nine months of 2025 demonstrates significant operational momentum. From January to September 2025, CEB transported nearly 20.0 million passengers, a substantial 13.9% increase compared to 17.5 million flown in the same period in 2024.
Throughout this year-to-date period, the airline’s overall capacity in seats was up by 14% (to 23.5 million), yet the overall average SLF remained strong at 84.8%. This growth was balanced across segments: domestic passengers grew by 12.7% to 14.9 million, while international passengers surged by 17.7% to reach 5.1 million.
“September’s results reflected the typical lean travel period in the Philippines, which we use strategically to complete aircraft maintenance and prepare our fleet for the peak season,” said Xander Lao, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Cebu Pacific. “We are now entering the fourth quarter with stronger aircraft availability and greater capacity—adding flight frequencies and deploying widebody aircraft on high-demand routes—to better capture the anticipated surge in holiday travel and optimize revenue performance.”
