Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szücs

Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ leading carrier, remains confident of being able to cruise through current turbulence in the fuel market caused by the Iran war, although it is concerned about the impact of a prolonged conflict during the low season.

In an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of Cebu Pacific Training Academy on Monday, April 27, Cebu Pacific Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Szücs said that, looking at the long term and the prospects of the country, “We’re very well set... at the moment, in April and May, we’re flying as we anticipated.”

“Clearly, we’ve got a few months to go through where we’ve got to manage incredibly inflated fuel prices, and so that’s something that we’re having to manage on a day-to-day basis, and we may do some tactical adjustments to the schedule. But, at the moment, people should be confident that, for the coming months, they should be able to book ahead,” he assured.

However, when the low season arrives, Szücs said, “we have to look to see what the demand levels will be... we do need to look at this situation. Hopefully, as we get into the third quarter, the fuel prices will have come off. But it’s a very, very sort of volatile situation in terms of trying to understand what’s going on here.”

Fuel is an airline’s biggest cost, and it had already been a challenge even before the Iran war started. “Now, of course, it’s gone up by more than double. So, it’s a major challenge, but we have a very solid airline coming off very strong financial results. We’ve got a lot of financial resilience.”

Szücs pointed out that Cebu Pacific was able to ride through the Covid-19 pandemic without any government assistance.

“We didn’t get any assistance there. We did it all by ourselves. So, in many ways, this is just another one of those situations that we expect to get through. We have to keep our eye on the end game. The end game is, there’s a great future for the Philippines, great future for Cebu Pacific. We just got to get through what I think will just be a challenging few months,” he said.

The carrier currently has adequate fuel supply, but the challenge is not its availability but its price, and it hopes prices will come down by June, July, and August.

Cebu Pacific has unveiled its new state-of-the-art training facility for pilots and cabin crew, reinforcing the airline’s continued investment in the future of the Philippine aviation industry through capacity building and operational excellence.

Cebu Pacific Training Academy in Parañaque City is a purpose-built facility aimed at providing high-quality, hands-on, and experience-based training for prospective aviation professionals. It is one of the first centralized, modern aviation training facilities of its kind in the country.

Cebu Pacific Training Academy is equipped with Airbus A330 and ATR door trainers, cabin mock-ups, slide trainers, as well as classrooms and equipment rooms that allow prospective pilots and cabin crew to experience scenario-based and practical training led by the airline’s highly capable instructors.

Cebu Pacific Chief Operations Officer Javier Massot said, “The Cebu Pacific Training Academy reflects our strong commitment and investment in the Philippines and its aviation industry. This facility allows us to stay focused on what matters most: operational excellence, service consistency, and nation-building.”

“With this facility, we also seek to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of aviation training standards in the Philippines and to help raise a generation of more capable and future-ready aviation professionals,” he added.

To support aspiring aviation professionals, Cebu Pacific revived its cadet pilot program in 2024 in partnership with Cebu-based flight training school Airworks Aviation.

The program provides prospective pilots with high-quality training, structured mentorship, and a clear pathway to employment with the airline.

Cebu Pacific has also been conducting cabin crew recruitment activities across its key hubs nationwide to support its growing operations, focusing on building a pool of well-trained and service-oriented crew members.