Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific has flown nearly 20 million passengers by the end of September, keeping the low-cost carrier on track to reach its lofty target this year.

In a public disclosure, Cebu Pacific reported serving 19.95 million passengers from January to September, a 14 percent increase from 17.51 million passengers in the same period last year.

Over the nine-month period, the airline reported that its domestic segment grew by 13 percent to 14.89 million passengers, from 13.20 million passengers last year.

Its international segment, meanwhile, was 18 percent higher at 5.07 million passengers compared to the previous year’s 4.31 million passengers.

At end-September, Cebu Pacific had offered 23.52 million seats, up 14 percent from 20.63 million seats the year before.

In terms of seat load factor, which measures how many of the available seats were occupied, it was stable at 84.8 percent.

In September alone, the airline served 1.83 million passengers, a three-percent improvement from 1.78 million passengers in the same month in 2024.

Domestic passengers reached 1.38 million in September, while international passengers surged to 446,000.

During the month, Cebu Pacific offered 2.25 million seats, while seat load factor slightly dipped to 81.8 percent from 82.6 percent.

Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer Xander Lao said the airline’s performance in September reflects the typical lean travel season during the period.

During the lean season, the airline typically completes maintenance of aircraft that would have been flying during the peak season.

With the upcoming start of the holiday season, Cebu Pacific now has a more robust aircraft availability and capacity to “better capture the anticipated surge in holiday travel and optimize revenue performance.”

Cebu Pacific is banking on the demand over the fourth quarter, as it targets to reach around 29 million passengers this year.

The carrier earlier set its goal of increasing its record of 24.5 million passengers last year by 20 percent.