November 14, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is cruising steadily well above profitability, earning more than P9 billion due to the consistency of air travel demand and gains from the delivery of spare engines.
Based on its financial report, Cebu Pacific’s parent Cebu Air Inc. booked a profit of P9.46 billion in the nine months to September, up by nearly three times from P3.37 billion a year earlier.
Cebu Pacific managed to increase revenue by 18 percent to P87.6 billion, propelled by double-digit growth across income segments.
Passenger revenues jumped by 17 percent to P59.66 billion as the airline flew 20 million guests from January to September. Cebu Pacific turned in a load factor–or seats booked as against slots available–of 84.8 percent.
The airline’s cargo revenues picked up by 30 percent to P5.19 billion, gaining from the resurgent demand for logistics services by air. Cebu Pacific’s ancillary income also surged by 17 percent to P22.76 billion, resulting from higher passenger bookings.
The country’s largest carrier in both fleet and passenger size also booked a gain of P5.99 billion from the delivery of five free-of-charge engines to mitigate supply disruptions.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific saw spending rise by 16 percent to P79.81 billion, as higher air traffic meant the airline had to invest more in flying and maintenance expenses.
In spite of this, Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs is confident the airline can weather cost hikes with revenue increases, especially as the Christmas season delivers the highest demand.
Even in the third quarter, Cebu Pacific raised its passengers flown by one percent to six million. Historically, carriers struggle to grow their passenger traffic between July and September, as the quarter marks the return of students to schools and the weather becomes unfit for leisure travel.
“Cebu Pacific delivered a strong year-to-date performance despite the seasonal headwinds in the third quarter. This reflects the resilience of our business model, the strength of underlying travel demand and the discipline of teams in managing costs and capacities amid an evolving operating environment,” Szucs said.
In December, Cebu Pacific expects to receive another Airbus A330neo and two aircraft on damp lease from Bulgaria Air to ramp up its fleet in time for the peak demand.
“We are committed to making air travel affordable and sustainable for everyone, while ensuring efficiency and reliability as we aim for an even stronger finish to 2025,” Szucs said.