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Domestic airlines flew 78.112 million kilograms of air cargo in the first quarter of 2026, up 7.7% from the 72.521 million kg carried in the same quarter last year
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Of the nine reporting carriers in CAB’s list, four reported increases in volumes carried, four posted decreases, while one had no comparative figure
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Cebu Pacific continued to handle the biggest share of the total, carrying 50.3% or 39.278 million kg in the first quarter of the year
Domestic airlines flew 78.112 million kilograms of air cargo in the first quarter of 2026, up 7.7% from the 72.521 million kg carried in the same quarter last year, according to data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
The percentage increase, however, was lower than the 28.4% year-on-year hike in January-March 2025.
Of the nine reporting carriers in CAB’s list, four recorded increases in volumes carried, four posted decreases, while one had no comparative figure.
Cebu Pacific continued to handle the biggest share of the total, carrying 50.3% or 39.278 million kg in the first quarter of the year. This was also 16.1% higher than the 33.821 million kg the low-cost carrier has flown in the first quarter of 2025. Cebu Pacific in an earlier financial disclosure said it flew more cargoes in the first quarter of the year supported by higher widebody capacity.
READ: Cebu Pacific income more than doubles to P12.3 billion in 2025
PAL Express also remained in second place, handling 27.8% or 21.73 million kg. It was, however, down by 2.7% from the 22.343 million kg PALEx carried last year.
PALEx’s sister carrier, Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, saw a 21.4% growth to 9.923 million kg from 8.176 million kg, maintaining its spot at third with a 21.4% share to total.
READ: PAL invests P250M in advanced cargo x-ray system
Still in fourth place with a share of 5.8% to total was low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines, which flew 4.52 million kg, a slight improvement of 0.8% from the 4.484 million kg handled in the first quarter of last year.
Island Aviation, Inc. carried 900,073 kg in the first quarter, 1.2% of the total, landing the air charter company in fifth place. The first quarter figure was also a 6.1% jump from the 848,234 kg Island Aviation handled in the same period last year.
Royal Air, which also provides air charter services, flew 748,058 kg in the first quarter, placing at sixth with a 0.96% share to the total. The airline had no comparative figure for the first quarter of last year.
Ranking seventh with a share of 0.73% or 567,669 kg was SEAIR International. The all-cargo airline’s first quarter figure was, however, down 4.9% from the 597,107 kg posted in the first quarter of last year.
Still in eight place was Cebu Pacific’s sister airline Cebgo, which handled 396,669 kg, down 2.3% from the 405,807 kg the airline carried last year.
AirSwift Airlines, which Cebu Pacific acquired last year, flew 49,629 kg in the first quarter of the year, a 97.3% drop from the 1.847 million reported in the same period last year.
READ: Domestic air cargo jumps 10.3% to 288M kgs in 2025
