Cebu Pacific to boost seat capacity by up to 26% in 2025

CEBU PACIFIC is set to increase its monthly seat capacity to 2.9 million by January next year from 2.3 million currently, an airline official said.

“We are starting to reach higher and go more global in promoting the Philippines — not just for domestic travel, but for international inbound travel as well,” Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Candice A. Iyog told reporters on Wednesday.

“By January next year, we will have grown the network by 130% year on year, while seats will increase from 2.3 million a month to 2.9 million,” she added.

“January 2025 is a snapshot; we intend to grow our seats by around 24%-26% next year,” Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer Alexander G. Lao said.

The company plans to increase its current 104 routes to 116 routes and aims to boost its monthly flights from 12,000 to 15,000-16,000, according to Ms. Iyog.

Cebu Pacific also plans to further expand its Manila hub, while also strengthening its hubs in Cebu and Clark and open new bases in Davao and Iloilo.

According to the budget carrier, its Cebu hub seats have expanded by 67% to 790,000 in December from 473,000 in January, while flight count has grown by 54% to 6,000 per month from 4,000 in January.

For its Clark hub, seats more than doubled to 161,000 in December from 79,000 in January, while flight count jumped by 97% to 872 from 441 in January.

Meanwhile, its Davao and Iloilo hubs also saw improvement, data from the company showed.

Seats in the Davao hub increased by 81% to 289,000 in December from 160,000 in January, while flight count went up by 57% to 1,345 from 852 in January.

The Iloilo hub has also expanded, with seats increasing by 67% to 178,000 in December from 106,000 in January, while flight count rose by 54% to 851 in December from 552 in January.

For the year, Cebu Pacific is expecting a total of 18 new aircraft deliveries, further expanding its fleet network to a total of 95. Of the projected fleet deliveries, 15 aircraft have arrived to date, and three more are expected to be delivered by yearend, Ms. Iyog said.

To recall, the company finalized its aircraft order in October with Airbus SE, making it the largest aircraft order in Philippine history.

Cebu Pacific, operated by Cebu Air, Inc., committed to purchasing up to 152 aircraft from Airbus, valued at P1.4 trillion ($24 billion).

The company’s agreement with Airbus covers 102 A321 new engine option (NEO) and 50 A320neo family aircraft.

The airline currently serves 35 domestic and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. — Ashley Erika O. Jose