Cebu airport growing under Aboitiz, passenger traffic up 18%

MANILA, Philippines — The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) posted an 18 percent growth in passenger traffic in November, benefitting from airlines’ decision to scale up flight volume in the hub.

Data showed the airport facilitated the travel of 970,950 passengers in November, up from last year’s 824,206.

The airport grew its domestic passenger volume by 26 percent during the month, overwhelming the four percent dip in international passenger traffic.

MCIA raised its aircraft movement by 16 percent on a yearly basis brought about by the addition of new routes and entry of more airlines. It currently hosts 21 airlines, five local, 16 foreign, serving 41 destinations in the Philippines and abroad.

MCIA took in another round of airline investments starting Dec. 13. Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific increased its Cebu flights to Hong Kong to twice daily, to Narita to 10 times weekly, and to Bangkok to five times weekly in line with efforts to grow its Cebu network.

The airline ramped up Cebu flights to Cagayan de Oro to six times daily; to Camiguin to twice a day; to Pagadian to 12 times weekly; to San Vicente to five times weekly; and to Zamboanga to 17 times weekly in support of domestic travel.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) also propelled its Cebu flights to Manila to 12 times a day to take advantage of the demand boom.

PAL also upgraded Cebu flights to Iloilo to thrice daily, to General Santos City to daily, to Tacloban to 11 times weekly and to Zamboanga to daily.

Other domestic carriers are following suit as well, such as Sunlight Air, which also bolstered its Cebu flights to Busuanga to a daily frequency. Recently, MCIA has also welcomed new carriers on its runway like United Airlines, which launched Cebu-Narita flights in October.

For December, PAL is restoring its Cebu connections to Incheon and Osaka, while Sunlight Air is resuming its Cebu-Cagayan de Oro services. Further, South Korea’s Jin Air and T’way Air are also back in MCIA to link Cebu and Incheon.

MCIA is enjoying new management under the Aboitiz Group, through Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., which acquired the operator of the airport for P25 billion and has taken over fully since October.

MCIA is the busiest airport in the Philippines outside of Manila, facilitating the flights of more than 10 million passengers in 2023.