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Elijah Felice Rosales - The Philippine Star
February 11, 2025 | 12:00am
Based on data from Cebu Pacific, the airline carried more than 5.6 million passengers in and out of Cebu last year, accounting for half of the 11.3 million total traffic in MCIA.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific flew half of the passengers that traveled through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in 2024, cementing its dominance in the second busiest gateway in the Philippines.
Based on data from Cebu Pacific, the airline carried more than 5.6 million passengers in and out of Cebu last year, accounting for half of the 11.3 million total traffic in MCIA.
Cebu Pacific pulled off such a feat as an outcome of its network expansion in MCIA in line with efforts to introduce more flights in hubs outside Metro Manila.
As of January, Cebu Pacific has boosted its monthly flights in Cebu by 35 percent to 4,824, from 3,580 a year ago. The airline has pushed up its seat capacity by over half to 717,000, from 473,000, giving passengers more options when flying to and from Cebu.
Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said the carrier plans to keep up its expansion in Cebu this year. Currently, the airline offers flights to 24 domestic destinations and six international cities from MCIA.
“By increasing our flights and seat capacity, we are not only connecting more passengers, but we are also supporting tourism, trade and economic opportunities across the region,” Lao said.
Further, Cebu will benefit from the looming ban on turboprops at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), as MCIA can function as a connecting hub to island destinations.
Cebu Pacific, for one, is terminating its turboprop flights between Manila and Surigao by March 30, meaning passengers have to do a layover in Cebu by then to reach Surigao.
At present, the largest Philippine carrier by passenger size flies from Cebu to Surigao nine times a week. In an earlier interview with reporters, Lao said the airline would expand its Cebu flights to island destinations if demand goes up.
Cebu is Cebu Pacific’s hub for its regional unit Cebgo, which operates an all-turboprop fleet that is assigned to island flights. Recently, the slot regulator in NAIA has directed all airlines to take out their turboprops in the gateway and relocate them in secondary airports, such as MCIA.
This development has failed to stop Cebu Pacific from pursuing its expansion plans this year, as it aspires to hit the 30-million level for passengers flown.
Cebu Pacific has the widest domestic coverage among Philippine carriers, flying to 37 domestic destinations and 26 foreign cities, spanning Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
