Cebu Pacific, budget carrier brand of listed Cebu Air Inc., the airline unit of the Gokongwei Group, flew 2.1 million passengers in October, down 1 percent from the same month in 2024, as the airline continued to juggle capacity constraints, supply chain issues, and weather disruptions ahead of the peak travel period.
Overall seat load factor slipped to 79.3 percent from 80.5 percent last year, even as seat capacity inched up 0.6 percent. Domestic traffic fell 4.5 percent year on year on the back of a 6.1 percent reduction in seats, pulling domestic load factor to 82.5 percent.
International operations moved in the opposite direction: passengers climbed 10.7 percent while seats surged 22.2 percent. The rapid capacity addition, however, pushed international load factor down to 71.4 percent, a drop of 7.4 percentage points.
Despite the softer October performance, Cebu Pacific remains ahead of last year’s pace. For the first ten months of 2025, the carrier transported more than 22.0 million passengers, up 12.3 percent from 19.6 million in 2024. Domestic passengers rose 10.8 percent to 16.4 million, while international flyers increased 17.0 percent to 5.6 million. Year-to-date load factor averaged 84.3 percent, supported by a 12.5 percent increase in seat capacity to 26.1 million.
“October reflected our active capacity management, as we navigated ongoing supply chain challenges, particularly those related to Pratt & Whitney engines, as well as weather-related disruptions,” said Chief Financial Officer Mark Cezar. “November is seeing similar headwinds and moderation, but we will be returning to double-digit capacity growth in December and January.”
