Cebu Pacific carried nearly 2.3 million passengers in April 2026, posting a slight decline from the same period last year as higher airfares dampened travel demand.
In a disclosure, Cebu Pacific said passenger traffic slipped by 0.7 percent year-on-year despite continued expansion in flight capacity.
The airline’s overall seat load factor fell to 74.4 percent from 83.8 percent a year earlier, even as total seat capacity increased by 11.9 percent.
Domestic passenger traffic declined by 0.1 percent despite a 15.8 percent increase in available seats, pulling domestic load factor down to 73.9 percent.
International passenger traffic also dropped by 2.3 percent year-on-year. With international seat capacity growing by 2 percent, the segment’s load factor slipped by 3.4 percentage points to 75.6 percent.
Despite the softer April performance, Cebu Pacific said it still recorded growth during the first four months of 2026.
From January to April, the airline flew more than 9.8 million passengers, up 6.2 percent from 9.2 million in the same period last year.
Domestic passenger volume rose 6 percent to 7.3 million, while international traffic increased 6.7 percent to 2.5 million.
During the four-month period, Cebu Pacific’s average seat load factor stood at 81.3 percent as overall capacity expanded by 10.5 percent to 12.1 million seats.
Xander Lao, president and chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific, attributed the weaker April load factors to airfare adjustments driven by rising fuel costs and geopolitical tensions.
“We have since recalibrated pricing, including rolling out targeted seat sales, with early indications of a booking recovery emerging in our late April and May booking trends,” Lao said.
“Our approach remains iterative and data-driven — carefully balancing demand stimulation and affordability, while maintaining discipline on cost and capital,” he added.
Cebu Pacific currently operates flights to 35 domestic and 25 international destinations using a fleet of 101 aircraft.