If you have taken a domestic flight in the Philippines this year, there is a solid chance your plane was a Cebu Pacific. Fresh Civil Aeronautics Board data for the first half of 2026 shows the budget carrier leading the country’s passenger traffic on both domestic and international routes, and this time it edged past flag carrier Philippine Airlines abroad as well.
The numbers behind Cebu Pacific’s domestic lead
Cebu Pacific and its regional arm CebGo moved 10.01 million domestic passengers between January and June, a 57.6 percent share of the domestic market. Cebu Pacific’s mainline alone carried 9.03 million passengers while CebGo flew 976,005.
| Airline | Domestic passengers (H1 2026) |
|---|---|
| Cebu Pacific (mainline) | 9,030,000 |
| CebGo | 976,005 |
| Cebu Pacific Group | 10,006,005 (57.6%) |
| Philippine Airlines (mainline) | 2,310,000 |
| PAL Express | 4,260,000 |
| Philippines AirAsia | 2,300,000 |
| AirSWIFT Transport | 176,335 |
| Sunlight Express Airways | 92,846 |
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines carried 2.31 million domestic passengers on its own aircraft, while PAL Express flew 4.26 million. Philippines AirAsia served 2.3 million domestic passengers.
International: a narrow win over the flag carrier
The sharper contest came on international routes, where Cebu Pacific carried 3.41 million passengers, narrowly ahead of flag carrier Philippine Airlines at 3.39 million. Philippines AirAsia ranked third among local carriers with 584,476 international passengers.
| Philippine airline | International passengers (H1 2026) |
|---|---|
| Cebu Pacific | 3,410,000 |
| Philippine Airlines | 3,390,000 |
| Philippines AirAsia | 584,476 |
| PAL Express | 20,234 |
| Royal Air Charter Services | 301 |
Local carriers moved about 7.4 million of the country’s 15.27 million international passengers in the half, a 48.5 percent share, while foreign airlines handled the remaining 51.5 percent.
Why the budget king’s lead matters
Cebu Pacific’s momentum comes with an aggressive fare strategy that has kept it in front of travelers all year. The carrier leaned into record-breaking seat sales, part of a broader wave of industry-wide promos that spans flag carrier PAL and budget rival AirAsia’s discount pushes. The half-year traffic figures suggest those fares are working: more Filipinos are flying, and a growing share of them are on Cebu Pacific.
The picture matches what travelers already feel on crowded domestic check-in lines: Cebu Pacific is now the airline moving the most people around the Philippines. The international race stays close, with PAL less than a percentage point behind, so the second half of 2026 is worth watching.
