Cebu Pacific passengers soar to all-time high 24.5 million in 2024

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific carried an all-time high 24.5 million passengers in 2024, breaching its target by half a million, on strong travel demand.

Cebu Pacific yesterday said its passenger volume soared by 17 percent from 20.9 million in 2023 due to double-digit growth across the business.

The airline saw its domestic passenger segment increase by 16 percent to 18.5 million and its international volume go up by 25 percent to six million.

Cebu Pacific ended the year with a seat capacity of 29.1 million. The airline turned in a load factor – the number of seats booked in the available capacity – of 84.4 percent.

Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said the carrier is in a position to grow the business as it has made investments in fleet and route expansion. For 2025, the airline is focused on sustaining its momentum by making sure it manages emerging risks, such as jet engine issues.

“The increased growth rate through the fourth quarter of 2024 has already been absorbed by the market with load factors stable to positive versus the previous year,” Szucs said.

“We will continue to focus on the reliability and stability in our operations through our ongoing management of powdered metal issues with Pratt & Whitney and at the same time optimizing the capacity to serve the increase in consumer demand,” he added.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Cebu Pacific stepped up to the plate by expanding its flight reach in most of its major hubs like Manila, Cebu, Davao and Iloilo.

Last December, Cebu Pacific improved its passenger traffic on an annual basis to 2.6 million, showing its capability to take advantage of the holiday demand. The airline booked a load factor of 85.2 percent, lifted by market confidence on its new flights.

Before 2024 ended, Cebu Pacific annexed new flights in Iloilo, including to Daraga, Dumaguete, Tacloban and Tagbilaran, as part of efforts to boost the hub. The carrier also expanded in Davao by adding trips to Caticlan, Puerto Princesa and Tacloban.

Internationally, Cebu Pacific’s holiday traffic was carried by the tourist demand for Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, countries where the airline has recently invested in new routes.

Cebu Pacific, owned by the Gokongweis, is the largest Philippine carrier by passenger size, and it is able to reach 35 domestic routes and 27 international cities.