Domestic air travel surged to a record 33.24-million passengers last year, soaring past pre-pandemic levels and cementing the sector’s full-circle comeback.

Data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) as of 9 February showed passenger traffic rising from 23.43 million in 2016 to 29.56 million in 2019, before sharply declining to 6.89 million in 2020 and 5.53 million in 2021 at the height of the pandemic.

Traffic began to recover in 2022, reaching 22.50 million, and continued climbing to 28.97 million in 2023 and 32.13 million in 2024. The 33.24 million recorded in 2025 exceeded the 2019 peak.

CEB leads growth

Among domestic carriers, Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific (CEB) carried 16.2 million passengers in 2025. It was followed by PAL Express with 8.39 million, Philippines AirAsia Inc. with 4.6 million, CebGo with 2.06 million, and Philippine Airlines (PAL) with 1.35 million.

International traffic also continued its recovery, climbing to 29.1 million in 2025, although still below the 30.53 million recorded in 2019, based on CAB data as of 28 January.

From 22.23 million in 2016, international passenger volume peaked in 2019 before falling to 6.27 million in 2020 and 2.21 million in 2021. It rebounded to 9.83 million in 2022, rose to 24.81 million in 2023, and reached 27.78 million in 2024.

In 2025, domestic carriers accounted for 14.09 million international passengers, while foreign carriers carried 15.012 million.

Flag carrier PAL led international operations with 6.51 million passengers, followed by Cebu Pacific with 6.45 million and Philippines AirAsia Inc. with 1.03 million.