Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB), the Philippines’ leading carrier, today announced it carried nearly 14.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, marking a 4.3% increase compared to the 13.9 million passengers flown during the same period last year.
The growth highlights steady demand across both local and overseas routes, bolstered by a significant expansion in the airline’s overall capacity.
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Passenger Volume: Domestic passenger traffic grew by 4.9% to 10.9 million, while international passenger numbers rose by 2.4% to 3.6 million.
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Capacity Expansion: Overall seat capacity expanded by 9.7%, reaching 17.9 million seats as the airline continued to restore and build out its network.
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Seat Load Factor (SLF): Average seat load factor stood healthy at 81.2% for the six months.
For the month of June, Cebu Pacific welcomed 2.3 million passengers, a 2.5% increase year-on-year, navigating through the start of the traditional lean travel season.
While overall seat capacity grew by 7.2% year-on-year, the overall seat load factor (SLF) for June registered at 83.6% (compared to 87.5% in June 2025).
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Domestic Resilience: Domestic passenger volume climbed by 6.2% year-on-year on the back of a 17.7% increase in seat capacity, yielding a domestic SLF of 83.1%.
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International Efficiency: International passenger traffic decreased by 8.6% year-on-year, reflecting an intentional 18.5% reduction in seat capacity. However, this targeted adjustment successfully maximized flight efficiency, pushing the international SLF up by 9.3 percentage points to 85.4%.
“June marked a return to year-on-year passenger growth, driven by the continued strength of our domestic network even as we entered the traditional lean travel season. While international volumes remained below last year, this largely reflected previous capacity adjustments,” said Xander Lao, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Cebu Pacific.
“With fuel prices having eased significantly and consumer sentiment improving, our market position continues to strengthen, and we expect a further recovery in operating performance through the second half of the year.”
With fuel headwind pressures softening and robust domestic demand holding strong, Cebu Pacific remains well-positioned to build momentum and drive further operational recovery through the second half of 2026.
