The Gokongwei-led budget carrier flew 2.09 million passengers, barely changed from a year earlier, but filled 84 out of every 100 available seats, up from 79 in October 2025.
The improvement came as Cebu Pacific reduced the number of seats offered by 5.6 percent, helping it make better use of its aircraft even as passenger traffic grew just 0.4 percent.
“We maintained passenger volumes in October with fewer seats, improving our load factors as we managed capacity and prepared our fleet for the upcoming peak travel season,” Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer Xander Lao said in a statement on Friday.
“Demand remains strong and we are increasingly positive about the commercial outlook heading into the Christmas peak,” he added.
International flights lead improvement
The gains were most pronounced on international routes, where passenger traffic grew 2.8 percent to 549,000 despite a 5.5-percent reduction in seats, raising the proportion of occupied seats to 77.6 percent from 71.4 percent.
Domestic passenger numbers slipped 0.5 percent to 1.54 million, although fewer available seats helped lift occupancy to 87 percent from 82.5 percent.
The improved October performance contrasted with the first 10 months of 2026, when Cebu Pacific carried 22.85 million passengers, up 3.7 percent, but average seat occupancy fell to 82.3 percent from 84.3 percent as the airline expanded capacity faster than traffic.
Domestic passengers increased 4.9 percent to 17.24 million during the period, while international traffic remained virtually unchanged at 5.61 million.
Cebu Pacific operates 102 aircraft serving 36 domestic and 26 international destinations, giving it a broad network as it prepares for the year-end travel peak.
—Edited by Miguel R. Camus
