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Cebu Pacific flew 2.271 million passengers in April 2026, a 0.7% drop from the 2.286 million carried in the same month last year as demand softened with higher fares due to the spike in fuel cost
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Domestic passengers declined by 0.1% year-on-year to 1.669 million while international passenger traffic dropped by 2.3% year-on-year
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For January-April, Cebu Pacific carried over 9.8 million passengers, marking a 6.2% increase from 9.2 million in the same period in 2025
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Cebu Pacific is wooing back passengers through recalibrated pricing, including rolling out targeted seat sales, with early indications of a booking recovery emerging in our late April and May booking trends
Cebu Pacific flew 2.271 million passengers in April 2026, a 0.7% drop from the 2.286 million carried in the same month last year as demand softened with higher fares due to the spike in fuel cost prompted by the Middle East conflict.
“In response to fuel price pressures linked to geopolitical tensions, we implemented measured fare adjustments and surcharges across parts of the network. While these were initially absorbed by the market, we subsequently saw signs of demand softening, reflected in slower booking momentum and weaker April load factors,” Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao said in a statement.
Overall seat load factor (SLF) in April decreased to 74.4% from 83.8% last year while seat capacity grew by 11.9%.
Domestic passengers declined by 0.1% year-on-year to 1.669 million on 15.8% higher seats, resulting in a domestic SLF of 73.9%.
International passenger traffic likewise dropped by 2.3% year-on-year, with seat capacity up by 2%, bringing international SLF down by 3.4 percentage points to 75.6%.
READ: Cebu Pacific suspends Dubai flights until May 31
For the first four months of the year, Cebu Pacific carried over 9.8 million passengers, marking a 6.2% increase from 9.2 million in the same period in 2025.
Domestic passengers from January-April 2026 grew 6% to 7.3 million, while international passengers expanded 6.7% to 2.5 million. SLF averaged 81.3% for the period, while overall capacity in seats was up by 10.5% to 12.1 million.
READ: Airfare, cargo rates to ease with fuel surcharge drop for May 16-31
Lao said they are addressing the drop in demand by wooing back passengers through “recalibrated pricing, including rolling out targeted seat sales, with early indications of a booking recovery emerging in our late April and May booking trends. Our approach remains iterative and data‑driven — carefully balancing demand stimulation and affordability, while maintaining discipline on cost and capital.”
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