CEBU Pacific will launch its first-ever direct flights from Cebu to El Nido, Palawan, on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, to meet strong tourism demand for the popular destination.
The new route, announced by Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao, is expected to provide additional service capacity for travelers. Lao, speaking at a media briefing on Friday, Oct. 24, said the airline saw “a strong demand from Cebu to El Nido” and decided to complement the market.
“What we decided from a network plan perspective since the demand of the route is quite strong, we said why don’t we complement it with an additional service? For the first time, it’s Cebu Pacific that will be operating the Cebu to El Nido service,” Lao said.
While AirSwift already operates existing passenger flights from Cebu to El Nido, Cebu Pacific’s entry will introduce a new option for travelers.
The daily flights are scheduled as follows:
Cebu to El Nido: 6:50 p.m. – 8:35 p.m.
El Nido to Cebu: 4:40 p.m. – 6:25 p.m.
Cebu Pacific’s chief marketing and customer experience officer, Candice Iyog, added that the inaugural service will “add more connections” to the airline’s existing network, improving Palawan’s access to other destinations.
In a broader network expansion, Cebu Pacific is set to add 108 flights per week — a 36 percent increase in routes to and from Cebu, Lao confirmed. The additional flights reflect the airline’s confidence in Cebu’s status as a key hub.
The airline will raise weekly frequencies on several
major routes:
El Nido: Increasing from seven to 15 weekly flights.
Bacolod: Increasing from 17 to 25 flights.
Surigao: Increasing from eight to 14 flights.
Manila: Increasing from 95 to 107 flights.
Cebu Pacific will also add flights to eight major domestic and international Cebu routes during the holiday period, including Boracay (Aklan), Butuan, Davao, Legazpi, Iloilo, Punta Princesa, Osaka (Japan), and Tokyo (Japan). / DPC