Cebu Pacific Air Transports Over Two Million Passengers in May 2025

Cebu Pacific Air Transports Over Two Million Passengers in May 2025

Gearing Up and Taking Flight:

Cebu Pacific (CEB) has seen a stellar growth in passenger numbers, carrying 2.4 million passengers in May 2025, a colossal 21.7% increase from the same period last year. This surge in demand has pushed the seat load factor (SLF) to an impressive 86.4%, a marginal 0.2% growth over last year, while seat capacity swelled by 21.3%.

Domestically, the story was equally impressive, with passenger numbers soaring 19.9% compared to May 2024, all while seats increased by 19.7%. The SLF in this segment reached a commendable 91.0%.

Internationally, CEB witnessed a striking 27.5% year-over-year growth in passenger traffic, riding on a 25.7% boost in seats. This expansion in capacity allowed a 1.0 percentage point increase in SLF to a respectable 75.0%.

As we tally up the numbers for the year-to-date 2025, CEB passengers stood at a formidable 11.7 million, marking a 23.7% increase from 9.4 million in 2024. Domestic passengers saw a growth of 23.2% to 8.7 million, while international passengers grew by 24.9% to 3.0 million. The SLF averaged 85.0%, while overall capacity in seats grew 23.1% to 13.7 million.

"Our passenger traffic continues to exhibit robust growth through the first five months of 2025, beating last year's figures," said Mike Szucs, Chief Executive Officer of CEB. "We're keeping a close eye on the demand while managing the engine and supply chain challenges affecting the industry." PR

Some key factors driving CEB's growth include:

1. Network expansion and increased flight capacity: CEB extended its domestic and regional networks, adding 18 new inter-island routes from its hubs in Cebu, Davao City, Iloilo, and Clark. It also introduced or reinstated new international flights, such as direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok and Osaka, as well as resuming Davao-Hong Kong and Davao-Bangkok services. The resumption of international flights from Iloilo International Airport after a four-year hiatus was another significant step[4].
2. Fleet modernization: CEB received its first Airbus A330neo, equipped with 459 seats for long-haul routes. The airline is upgrading its widebody fleet, which supports increased capacity and versatility in route options. Orders for A320neo and A321neo aircraft will further fuel capacity expansion[5].
3. Strong travel demand: The growth in passenger numbers can be attributed to the sustained high travel demand in May 2025, as evidenced by a 21.7% year-on-year increase in passengers carried during that month alone[3].
4. Increased available seats and traffic volume: From January to May 2025, CEB increased available seats by 23.1% (from 11,151,000 to 13,731,000 seats) and revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) by 25.2%, demonstrating growth in actual passenger traffic and the distance flown. The seat load factor remained stable at around 85%, implying efficient capacity utilization despite growth[1].

These factors—network expansion, fleet modernization, strong overall demand, and efficient load factors—have worked together to fuel the impressive passenger growth for Cebu Pacific[1][3][4][5].

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