Cebu Pacific nears 12 million passenger mark

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is nearing the 12-million mark in passengers flown during the first five months of the year as the airline takes advantage of sustained growth in air travel.

Based on its traffic report, Cebu Pacific grew its passenger volume by 22 percent to 2.44 million in May, from two million a year ago.

Apart from this, the country’s largest airline increased its load factor to 86.4 percent, meaning at least eight in 10 seats were booked during the month.

Cebu Pacific said its passenger volume went up by 20 percent for domestic flights and ballooned by 28 percent for foreign trips. The airline’s load factor stood at 91 percent locally and 75 percent internationally.

Thus, the airline is on pace to expand its passenger traffic for the year. To date, the carrier has recorded a 24-percent growth in passenger volume to 11.67 million, from 9.44 million a year ago.

Likewise, Cebu Pacific’s load factor reached 85 percent between January and May, as the airline made the most out of the peak travel during the dry season.

Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said the airline is raising its capacity in response to the demand for air travel, ensuring it has enough fleet and seats to mount more flights and enter new routes.

“We remain focused on aligning our capacity to meet the demand, while we continue to manage the engine and supply chain challenges affecting the industry,” Szucs said.

“Passenger traffic continued to see high year-on-year growth through the first five months of the year. Seat load factor is also tracking ahead of last year’s, reflecting robust air travel as additional capacity continues to be absorbed by demand,” he added.

With the arrival of the rainy season, Cebu Pacific expects demand to moderate, as students return to school and typhoons enter the archipelago. In response, the airline is leasing two of its aircraft to Saudi Arabian carrier flyadeal to earn from them during the low-demand season.

Cebu Pacific will receive seven new aircraft this year to increase its fleet to an industry-leading total of 100, allowing it to scale up seat capacity by as much as 20 percent.

The airline is now able to reach 37 domestic routes and 26 international cities, spanning Asia, Australia and the Middle East.