As the company grew its fleet and network.
In its statement on Friday, May 9, local budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) reported a record ₱30.4 billion revenue for the first quarter of 2025.
It noted that it was a 20% increase, year-on-year.
As per CEB, it was able to transport 7 million passengers in the said quarter, which is in itself up by 26% year-on-year and noting that it also posted that in spite of the shift in Easter holidays to mid-April this year from the last week of March in 2024.
“This increase in passenger traffic resulted in a 19% rise in passenger revenue to over ₱21 billion, and a 22% increase in ancillary revenue to over ₱7 billion,” according to Cebu Pacific.
Moreover, by the end of Q1 2025, Cebu Pacific had a fleet of 99 aircraft, serving 63 destinations and 127 routes, with over 3,200 weekly flights.
The company’s expanded network and capacity also enabled growth of its cargo segment, with revenues rising 35% year-on-year to ₱1.7 billion, as the airline transported 51.6 million kilograms of cargo.
Over the past 12 months, CEB also accepted 15 aircraft deliveries and 13 spare engines, which it said was to “support capacity growth and operational resilience amid global supply challenges.”
Although this move resulted in additional fleet and financing costs in the first quarter of 2025.
While the increased fleet and broader operations led to higher costs, CEB said that it was able to maintain a healthy earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA),of recording ₱6.7 billion—slightly higher than the previous year and translating to an EBITDA margin of 22%.
Operating income was P1.96 billion, resulting in a net income of P466 million.
Mark Cezar, Chief Financial Officer at Cebu Pacific, shared, “We remain optimistic on our financial outlook. Underlying demand for affordable air travel remains strong, and we’ve made earlier strategic investments to ensure resilient operations.”
“Leveraging on these existing assets, CEB remains well positioned for sustainable growth, and improving profitability,” he added.