CEBU Pacific flew more than 2.463 million passengers in March 2026, an 11.5-percent increase from the 2.209 million carried in the same month last year, the budget carrier said on Wednesday.
Overall seat load factor (SLF) increased to 82.1 percent from 81.4 percent a year ago while seat capacity grew by 10.6 percent, it said in a statement.
Domestic passengers rose 11.6 percent to 1.85 million from 1.658 million as seat capacity increased 13.7 percent, for a domestic SLF of 82.5 percent.
International passenger traffic, meanwhile, grew 11.3 percent to 613,000 from 551,000 as seat capacity expanded by 2.1 percent, resulting in a 6.7-percentage-point increase in international SLF to 81 percent.
“We saw strong demand growth in March and throughout the first quarter, supported by the start of the school breaks and sustained momentum in our international segment,” Cebu Pacific CEO Mike Szucs said.
“Load factors remained healthy across the network, which in turn reflected disciplined capacity management,” he added.
Year to date, Cebu Pacific said it carried over 7.535 million passengers, marking an 8.4-percent increase from 6.95 million in the same period last year.
Domestic passengers grew 7.9 percent to 5.588 million from 5.178 million while international passengers increased 9.8 percent to 1.947 million travelers from 1.772 million.
The airline’s SLF averaged 83.7 percent in the first three months of the year while overall capacity in seats grew 10 percent to 9.003 million from 8.185 million.
“For the second quarter, we are taking a cautious and measured approach amid a volatile fuel price environment,” Szucs said.
“We have optimized flight frequencies where appropriate, focusing on routes with stronger demand,” he added.
Shares of Cebu Air Inc., the operator of Cebu Pacific, added P0.65, or 2.1 percent, to close at P31.55 each on Wednesday.
