Cebu Pacific flies 24.5M passengers in 2024

CEBU Pacific closed 2024 on a high note, carrying 2.6 million passengers in December, a 31.4 percent increase compared to the same month in 2023. The airline’s seat load factor (SLF) rose to 85.2 percent from 84.8 percent, supported by a 30.7 percent increase in seat capacity.

Domestic traffic surged 32 percent year-over-year, driven by a 34.5 percent rise in seat capacity and an SLF of 85.4 percent. Growth was fueled by strong holiday demand and new routes launched from its hubs in Iloilo and Davao. Traffic from the Davao hub more than doubled, aided by new destinations such as Boracay, Puerto Princesa and Tacloban. Similarly, Iloilo’s hub traffic tripled following the addition of routes to Dumaguete, Daraga, Tacloban and Tagbilaran.

International passenger traffic also showed robust growth, rising 29.5 percent year-over-year with a 21 percent increase in seats. Key markets including Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Hong Kong posted strong results, driven by added frequencies and capacity. SLF for international flights improved by 5.6 percentage points to 84.7 percent.

For the full year 2024, Cebu Pacific transported 24.5 million passengers, a 17.6 percent increase from 20.9 million in 2023. Domestic passengers grew 15.5 percent to 18.5 million, while international passengers surged 24.6 percent to six million. SLF for the year averaged 84.4 percent, with seat capacity increasing 17.1 percent to 29.1 million. / KOC