Philippines

PAL Holdings Inc reported that it saw its net income grow to 4.33 billion PHP in Q1 2025, up from 3.6 billion PHP in Q1 2024. Total revenue increased +2.5% to 46.9 billion PHP. Passenger volume grew 5% YoY to 4.1 million. Flying operation expenses increased by 3.36% YoY to 21.86 billion PHP

Qatar and Philippine Airlines will cooperate to launch a codeshare agreement on the Doha route. Philippine Airlines will offer daily direct flights between Manila and Doha from 16 Jun, and Qatar Airways will codeshare on 7 weekly flights operated by Philippine Airlines

The Department of Tourism said they expect Air India to launch flight services between India and Manila from late 2025. In 2024, 79,000 Indians visited the Philippines, +12% YoY. Data from ASEAN shows that in 2024, 4.2 million Indians visited the region. DOT is positioning the Philippines as a wedding and MICE destination. Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) Executive Director said hotels in the country are ready to host big Indian weddings and Shangri La in Mactan is already hosting such events

Philippine Airlines is requesting approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for an exemption authority renewal to continue its Manila-Seattle flights for another year. The current authority, which was granted in Jun 2024, will expire on 24 Jun 2025

Richard Nutall, former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, will replace Captain Stanley Ng as Philippine Airlines’ President

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) will increase the passenger service charge (PSC) for international flights to 900 PHP from 550 PHP. Passenger will also have to pay 350 PHP for domestic flights departing from international airports, 300 PHP from principal class 1 airports, 200 PHP from principal class 2 airports, and 100 PHP from community airports. Currently, the PSC for domestic flights is at 200 PHP

The government removed Kalibo International Airport (KIA) in Aklan from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. The project is worth 3.62 billion PHP

The ports in the Philippines and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport recorded 3.46 million passengers during the Holy Week holiday. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport recorded 1.17 million passengers from 13-20 Apr. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) recorded over 2.29 million travellers, +37.14 YoY. The passengers leaving from the Philippines’ main gateway represent +12.7% YoY. Easter Sunday recorded the highest single-day volume of 156,635 passengers on 20 Apr, while the daily average for the week reached 146,611. International passenger traffic increased by +11.21% YoY, and domestic passengers recorded +14.19% YoY. NAIA recorded 83.28% of on-time performance at all terminals during the Holy Week period

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) recorded 433,000 passengers from 13-15 Apr, up from the 387,000 recorded in 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). On 15 Apr, the airport recorded 140,000 travellers, including 71,000 domestic passengers and 68,000 international passengers. MIAA recorded 150,000 passengers on 13 Apr and 142,000 on 14 Apr

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) signed an MoU with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to improve Clark International Airport operations. The MoU will focus on the operation and maintenance of Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) infrastructure at the airport

Philippine Airlines’ frequent flyer program, Mabuhay Miles, reached 6.1 million members in 2024, +33% YoY, with 68% new registrations coming from Gen Y and Z. The data shows that young travellers are flying 2X more than average travellers, and contributed 40% of passenger revenue in 2024. PAL’s partner-generated revenue increased by 77% and redemption-related revenues increased by 52% YoY. The program has signed up with merchants such as Grab, to expand its user base

Cebu Pacific recorded 2.2 million passengers in Mar, +18.9% YoY. The airline also recorded +19.2% YoY in seat capacity, as well as an 81.4% seat load factor (SLF), a drop from 81.6% in Mar 2024. Cebu Pacific recorded 1.66 million passengers in Mar, +20.2% YoY. The airline recorded +17.9% YoY in available seats and 84.1% load factor in Mar. For international routes, passenger volume increased by 15.2%, but SLF dropped to 74.3% following a 22.9% expansion in capacity. In Q1 2025, Cebu Pacific recorded 7 million passengers, +26.3% vs 5.5 million recorded in 2024. The average load factor for Q1 2025 recorded 84.9%, and capacity increased by 24.8% to 8.2 million seats. Cebu Pacific operates 99 aircraft and flies to 37 domestic and 26 international destinations

AirAsia MOVE published travel trends for the 2025 Holy Week with peak departure on 16 Apr and peak return on 20 Apr. The report found; 53% are solo travellers, 17% are couples and families, 9% are small groups, and 3% are medium groups Millennials (aged 30-39) account for 35% of travellers, 27% are aged 20-29, 16% are aged 40-49, and 13% are aged 70-79 45% of travellers booked luxury hotels, 43% booked mid-range, and 12% on budget hotels Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Caticlan, and Tacloban are popular domestic destinations Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Bangkok are popular international destinations. Manila ranked second in the international list, indicating more Filipinos are returning to the Philippines for the holiday The most searched destinations are Manila, Caticlan, Cebu, Tacloban, and Hong Kong

Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched its own e-wallet, which allows users to store e-cards, travel credits, vouchers, and e-gifts

Scoot Airlines launched a direct Singapore-Iloilo route from 14 Apr

Terminal 4 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be rebuilt at the former site of the international cargo terminal. The New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC) plans to handle domestic flights of AirAsia and Cebu Pacific from T4. The NNIC General Manager said they will not proceed with the old NAIA T4 renovation after they found it to be hazardous. NNIC found that the airport situation is similar to Muan Airport, which caused a deadly crash landing in 2024. The construction of T5 will start after the demolition of an abandoned hotel. The construction of T5 will be completed in 2-3 years

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Head Executive Assistant expects 550,000 passengers travelling from NAIA until 16 Apr, +10% YoY

The Philippines is keen on leading in the production and usage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from agricultural waste feedstock. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) highlighted its commitment to a sustainable aviation sector during the 2025 SAF Forum on 28. DOTr said it will foster innovation and partnerships to become a leader in SAF production and usage. SAF has the potential to lower emissions by 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. DOTr’s partnership with Boeing is expected to create jobs and a chance to gain knowledge of the industry. Boeing Southeast Asia acknowledged that the Philippines has sufficient agricultural waste feedstock to support its jet fuel needs and achieve the aviation sector’s net-zero goal by 2050. A report by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials and Boeing showed total feedstock available in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia accounts for 90% of ASEAN’s supply capacity. The Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines targets a 5% SAF blend by 2030. Southeast Asia’s feedstocks can supply 12% of global SAF demand to meet aviation industry’s net-zero goal by 2050

Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) reopened its pilot training institution after 4 years. The institute is a strategic partnership between the Airways Aviation Group (AAG) and PAL. It was closed in Jun 2020 due to the pandemic. The institute screens 500 applicants per batch but only selects 25 candidates in pre-pandemic. AAG trained more than 12,000 pilots globally through its academy and will accept 20 cadets who will receive training in Australia between late Jul-Sep

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has placed all 44 airports in the Philippines on heightened alert in anticipation of high passenger traffic during the holy week from 17-20 Apr. Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and New Naia Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC) placed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on high alert as they projected a 10%-20% increase in passenger traffic

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expected to record 17.16-18.72 million passengers in 2025. PAL’s President said the airline is targeting a 10%-20% growth in 2025. In 2024, PAL recorded 15.6 million passengers

The New Naia Infra Corp (NNIC) expects to see 155,000-157,000 passengers travelling through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport daily during the Holy Week. During 2024 Holy Week, the airport recorded 145,000 passengers

AirAsia Philippines CEO is expecting 100,000-150,000 passengers during the Holy Week, exceeding 2023’s passenger volume of 100,000 passengers. He said Caticlan, Tagbilaran City, and Puerto Princesa are seeing high demand during the Holy Week. Tacloban, Iloilo, and Cebu are popular destinations for families to visit. The outbound travel is likely to countries like Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and Macau

Philippines Airlines launched a direct flight between Manila-Da Nang, offering 3 flights per week from 1 Jul

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) clarified that there are no travel advisories by the US authorities against Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) or any other airports. DOTr said TSA authorities in Manila have mistakenly included an old travel advisory which was issued in 2018 and lifted in 2019

Air Canada’s direct flight between Vancouver-Manila with 3 flights per week will add 57,216 flight seats in a year, or 4,768 seats per month on average. In 2024, the Philippines welcomed 223,944 Canadians, making it the 6th top source country. In Q1 2025, 77,390 Canadian tourists visited the Philippines, +14.42% YoY

AirAsia Aviation Group identified the Philippines as a key market for its growth strategy in 2025. AirAsia Philippines said they will increase Taipei service to 17 weekly flights from 14 flights starting in Jul

Philippine Airlines is increasing its operations at Mactan-Cebu International Airport hub for the peak travel season by adding more flights and deploying larger aircraft to meet the increase in demand. PAL Express President said the airline will operate 287 weekly round-trip domestic flights between Cebu and 18 destinations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, a +10% increase in frequency. The airline will increase frequencies to the Cebu to Boracay route (from 14 to 21 weekly flights), Cebu to Siargao (from 18 to 26), Cebu to Puerto Princesa (from 7 to 14), and Cebu to Coron (from 14 to 17). PAL will increase Davao flights to 29 per week and 14 per week to the Cebu-Tacloban route. PAL will launch Cebu-HCMC flights from May

United Airlines plans to add daily flights to Bangkok and HCMC from 26 Oct, connecting from its Los Angeles and San Francisco flights to Hong Kong. It also plans to launch a daily direct San Francisco-Manila flight from 25 Oct

The New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) projected passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to reach 53.36 million in 2025. NNIC estimates that NAIA will increase flight traffic to 316,663 in 2025 from 293,488 in 2024. Meanwhile, Air Canada has launched direct flights between Manila and Vancouver from 2 Apr with 3 flights per week. Air India is working with civil aviation authorities to secure flight approvals to the Philippines. NAIA recorded 699,689 metric tons of cargo in 2025 from 616,478 metric tons in 2024