AIR PASSENGER volume rose 6.247% to 46.84 million in the first nine months, driven by growth in domestic passenger traffic, the Civil Aviation Board (CAB) said in a report.
Domestic passenger volume was 24.95 million, up by 5.36% from a year earlier. International passengers were up 7.25% at 21.89 million.
Cebu Air, Inc., the operator of Cebu Pacific and its unit CebGo accounted for 12.06 million and 1.56 million respectively. AirSwift Transport, Inc., which was acquired by Cebu Pacific, posted volume of 328,494 during the period.
Philippine Airlines reported volume of 1.02 million, while its low-cost unit PAL Express logged 6.40 million.
Philippines AirAsia, Inc., operator of AirAsia Philippines, reported a passenger total of 3.40 million for the period.
Boutique carrier Sunlight Express Airways logged 124,436 passengers during the nine months.
In a separate statement, Cebu Pacific said passenger volume during the 10 months to October came in at 22.03 million, up 12.3%.
Its domestic passengers during the 10 months accounted for 16.43 million, while international passenger volume was 5.60 million.
“October reflected our active capacity management, as we navigated ongoing supply chain challenges, particularly those related to Pratt & Whitney engines, as well as weather-related disruptions. Capacity growth was intentionally moderated to ensure operational resilience ahead of the peak travel season,” Cebu Air Chief Financial Officer Mark Julius V. Cezar said in the statement.
“November is seeing similar headwinds and moderation but we will be returning to double-digit capacity growth in December and January.”
In terms of international passenger traffic, CAB said foreign carriers logged 12.37 million passengers, while Philippine carriers posted volume of 9.53 million for the first nine months. — Ashley Erika O. Jose