Cebu airport braces for travel surge

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is preparing for a surge in passenger traffic this year, as improved connectivity and a new visa-free policy for Chinese travelers are expected to drive higher arrivals and smoother travel across the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Improving connectivity allows travelers arriving in Cebu to move more efficiently to other parts of the country, whether by air or sea.”

Supporting tourism growth

“These initiatives are designed to support tourism growth while helping distribute visitor traffic across the regions,” said Aboitiz InfraCapital vice president and head of Airports Rafael M. Aboitiz.

MCIA currently serves as a central hub for travelers connecting to domestic destinations, and the new policy allows eligible Chinese visitors arriving in Cebu to access multiple locations through direct domestic flights and integrated transfer services.

The Philippine government recently granted Chinese nationals visa-free entry for up to 14 days for tourism and business at two airports, including MCIA, a move expected to boost international arrivals at key gateways.

Airport-to-seaport connectivity

Among these initiatives are CEB Connects, MCIA’s air-to-air transfer service, which cuts connection times to 60 minutes for international flights and 35 minutes for domestic flights, and CEB+. This airport-to-seaport connectivity program will enable travelers to combine air and sea travel once officially launched.

Department of Tourism data showed that of 5.6 million tourists to the Philippines last year, 262,144 were from China, a figure expected to rise following the visa-free policy.

AIC Airports platform

MCIA and Laguindingan International Airport (LIA) have been under the operation of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC) since October 2024 and April 2025, respectively, and form part of the AIC Airports platform, which also includes Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA).

AIC Airports expects its network to collectively handle around 16 million passengers by the end of 2025, or over 20 percent of the country’s passenger traffic.

The company is developing and modernizing BPIA and LIA beginning last year under multi-year concession agreements awarded by the government in 2024.