From the time the COVID-19 pandemic ended, we all saw how Cebu Pacific set its sights on rebuilding its network to pre-pandemic levels. However, it seems like they did not just rebuild to pre-pandemic levels—they surpassed them with flying colors! With 17 new planes delivered and 116 routes, Cebu Pacific has become a powerhouse in Southeast Asia, making it the third-largest airline in the region in terms of the number of seats.
Effectively, this also makes Cebu Pacific the largest airline in the Philippines in terms of the number of seats as of this writing. Based on data from the Philippines’ Civil Aeronautics Board from January to September 2024, Cebu Pacific has captured 52% of the total domestic travel market.
Based on January 2025 data provided by OAG analysis, Cebu Pacific currently has a total of 2,445,185 seats. This puts them ahead of VietJet, Vietnam Airlines, and even Singapore Airlines. Leading Cebu Pacific are the AirAsia Group, with 2,912,458 seats, followed by Indonesia’s Lion Air, with 2,833,937 seats.
Aside from the total number of seats, Cebu Pacific has the highest increase in capacity compared to the previous year, with a 38% increase, as against other SEA carriers. This reflects their strategy of increasing their fleet by around 20% compared to the previous year.
So How Did They Do It?
Cebu Pacific’s strategy was straightforward but very calculated and well envisioned. First, they knew that increasing the fleet was key to everything. Despite setbacks such as the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine recall, which caused a number of their planes to go on AOG status, Cebu Pacific was able to cushion the blow by securing leased planes and taking delivery of more planes from Airbus. The airline received a total of 17 plane deliveries in 2024, the highest number of plane deliveries in a single year among all airlines in the Philippines. Cebu Pacific is also set to take delivery of seven more planes in 2025.
With a good number of planes in its fleet, Cebu Pacific was able to increase its number of routes from 104 in January 2024 to 116 in 2025. However, not all of these routes originated from Manila. Cebu Pacific was also able to utilize other hubs around the Philippines, like Cebu, Clark, Davao, and Iloilo. If you look at this strategy from above, it resembles a spider web. For example, Caticlan. Cebu Pacific does not only have flights from Manila but also from Clark, Cebu, and Davao. The same applies to other domestic and regional routes served by Cebu Pacific from two to three hubs around the Philippines.
Fleet planning is another factor. Cebu Pacific’s fleet consists of 459-seater A330neos, 236-seater A321neos, and 188-seater A320neos, to name a few. These planes are very important for operations from congested airports. An example is Davao. With enough planes, Cebu Pacific is further increasing its capacity between Manila and Davao by adding more widebody A330neo flights. Instead of operating two A321neo flights, which would require additional slots, Cebu Pacific can still expand its capacity by operating one A330neo flight with almost the same capacity as two A321neos—though slightly less. This is also why Cebu Pacific can drop fares, which fits well with the Filipino price-conscious market.
What’s the Future for Cebu Pacific?
The 102-aircraft order speaks volumes about the future of Cebu Pacific. However, it is important to note that these 70 to 102 planes are not all for fleet expansion. Many will serve as fleet replacements, replacing older Airbus jets while also further expanding their capacity and network. Delivery of this large aircraft order begins in 2029. If you look at the bigger picture, Cebu Pacific has everything well planned and in place for the next 10 years. In other words, it is long-term planning.
Cebu Pacific, despite operating from a slot-constrained main hub, has been able to achieve such numbers due to a strong vision, proper planning, accurate forecasting, and an aggressive but well-calculated approach to increasing travel demand in the coming years. They are definitely an airline to watch in the Asia-Pacific region.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
