Cebu Pacific (CEB) carried 1.8 million passengers in September, a 2.6 percent rise from a year earlier, as the budget airline sustained robust travel demand and expanded seat capacity ahead of the holiday rush.

In a stock exchange report on Wednesday, the budget carrier reported a seat load factor of 81.1 percent, slightly lower than 82.6 percent a year ago, following a 4.4 percent increase in total seats offered.

Domestic passengers climbed 1.3 percent on 2.1 percent higher capacity, resulting in a domestic seat load factor of 83.7 percent.

Meanwhile, international passenger traffic rose 6.7 percent year on year, with seat capacity up 11.2 percent, bringing the international load factor down by 3.2 percentage points to 73.9 percent.

“September’s results reflected the typical lean travel period in the Philippines, which we use strategically to complete aircraft maintenance and prepare our fleet for the peak season,” CEB President and Chief Commercial Officer said Xander Lao said.

“We are now entering the fourth quarter with stronger aircraft availability and greater capacity—adding flight frequencies and deploying widebody aircraft on high-demand routes—to better capture the anticipated surge in holiday travel and optimize revenue performance,” he added.

From January to September, CEB flew nearly 20 million passengers, up 13.9 percent from 17.5 million a year earlier. 

Domestic passengers grew 12.7 percent to 14.9 million, while international flyers surged 17.7 percent to 5.1 million.

Average seat load factor stood at 84.8 percent, with overall capacity up 14 percent to 23.5 million seats.