Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific is on track to surpass its record-high passenger volume from last year, as passenger traffic remains robust, with the low-cost carrier posting a 22-percent increase in May.

In a statement on Friday, June 13, the airline reported carrying 2.44 million passengers last month, up from the two million passengers it recorded in the same month in 2024.

Seat offerings in May reached 2.82 million, 21 percent higher than the 2.32 million passengers a year earlier.

Despite the substantial number of seats, the seat load factor (SLF) improved to 86.4 percent from the previous 86.2 percent. SLF measures the percentage of available seats that are occupied.

Cebu Pacific Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mike Szucs said SLF is tracking ahead of last year as additional capacity continues to be absorbed by demand.

The airline’s domestic passengers rose nearly 20 percent to 1.83 million, compared to last year’s 1.53 million. The SLF of this segment reached 91 percent.

Meanwhile, international passengers soared to 602,000, a 28-percent hike from the prior year’s 472,000. This unit saw SLF surge to 75 percent.

For the first five months of the year, Cebu Pacific's passenger volume grew to 11.7 million, a 24 percent jump from 9.4 million in the same period last year.

As of end-May, domestic passengers increased 23 percent to 8.69 million from the previously recorded 7.04 million.

International traffic likewise went up nearly 25 percent from 2.40 million to three million.

During the period, SLF averaged 85 percent, while overall seat capacity grew 23 percent to 13.7 million.

"Passenger traffic continued to see high year-on-year growth through the first five months of 2025,” said Szucs.

"We remain focused on aligning capacity to meet the demand while continuing to manage the engine and supply chain challenges affecting the industry,” he added.

Szucs earlier said that the carrier is targeting a 15 to 20 percent growth in passenger volume this year.

In 2024, Cebu Pacific carried an all-time high of 24.5 million passengers, up 17 percent from 20.9 million in 2023.

Last month, Cebu Pacific signed a wet-lease agreement with Saudi Arabia-based budget carrier to lease out two of its Airbus A320 aircraft during the peak flying season in the Middle East.

Reciprocally, the Filipino airline is examining the prospect of wet-leasing A320s from Flyadeal during the winter period in Southeast Asia.

Through the agreement, alongside the plan to increase its fleet to 100 aircraft, Cebu Pacific is eyeing to operate at strong capacity year-round.

Cebu Pacific operates in 37 domestic and 26 international destinations.