Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.’s (AIC’s), the Philippines’ largest airport operator in terms of passenger served outside of Manila, reported that its airport portfolio recorded 16.17 million passenger arrivals in 2025, reflecting the growing demand for air travel across the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
The figure includes 11.6 million passengers at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) (up almost 3 percent from 11.3 million in 2024), 2.35 million at Laguindingan International Airport (LIA), and 2.22 million at Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA).
Covering only the period following their respective handovers to AIC, the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, in April and June 2025, LIA and BPIA logged 1.6 million and 1.07 million passengers, respectively.
MCIA in Cebu is the country’s busiest airport outside Manila, while LIA in Misamis Oriental and BPIA in Bohol are the country’s sixth- and ninth-busiest airports, respectively.
“2025 has been a landmark year for our airports as we continued to expand connectivity for both domestic and international travelers. Passengers arriving at MCIA, LIA, and BPIA now have easier access to key destinations across Cebu, Bohol, and Northern Mindanao, making travel within the Philippines more seamless than ever,” said AIC Vice President and Head of Airports Rafael M. Aboitiz.
This record passenger volume in 2025 underscores the growing role of AIC Airports in supporting tourism, business travel, and regional economic growth.
Further, this was achieved despite the numerous challenges that hit the Visayas-Mindanao region last year, namely the 6.9-magnitude Bogo City, Cebu earthquake, 7.4-magnitude Davao Oriental earthquake, and Typhoons Tino and Uwan that hit Western Visayas.
MCIA, named Airport of the Year – Asia at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2025, has launched new exclusive nonstop routes that offer faster, more convenient access to destinations best reached via Cebu. With these additions, Siquijor via Sunlight Air and San Vicente, Palawan via Cebu Pacific are now accessible directly and exclusively through MCIA.
In addition, MCIA launched in 2025 three key connectivity initiatives that have contributed significantly to passenger growth among AIC Airports: CEB Connects, CEB+ and CEB Balik.
CEB Connects is MCIA’s premier air-to-air transfer service that drastically reduces transfer times between connecting international and domestic flights, while CEB+ is a short air-to-sea transfer service from MCIA to Mactan Wharf, catering to nearby islands. CEB Balik, meanwhile, consists of an Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Facilitation Kiosk, designed to establish MCIA as Visayas-Mindanao’s main OFW gateway.
These connectivity initiatives provide remarkably hassle-free access to and from Cebu and beyond through MCIA.
For example, from MCIA, Visayas passengers can travel to Bohol and surrounding provinces via fast ferry (CEB+), or fly easily to Northern Mindanao via LIA in Misamis Oriental for work or pleasure.
For Mindanao travelers wishing to head abroad, MCIA (accessible via LIA) is a much-preferred option, with 20 airlines serving 13 international routes.
