Cebu Pacific will significantly expand its services to Japan. President and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Alexander Lao visited Japan and outlined the airline’s business strategy.
Cebu Pacific is the largest airline in the Philippines, with a growing network across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. It operates 26 international routes and 37 domestic routes. The airline entered Japan in 2008 with Osaka/Kansai, followed by Tokyo/Narita, Nagoya/Chubu, Fukuoka, and Sapporo/Chitose. For the winter schedule, it will add frequencies on four routes—Sapporo/Chitose–Manila, Tokyo/Narita–Clark, and Tokyo/Narita–Cebu and Osaka/Kansai–Cebu—to meet rising travel demand.
Lao noted that the airline’s operating margin is a high 18%, ranking among the top five globally, and first-half revenue reached 63.0 billion Philippine pesos, up 23% year-on-year. He said 1.3 million people traveled between Japan and the Philippines over the past 12 months; in 2024, more than 800,000 Filipinos visited Japan, up 31% year-on-year, while the number of Japanese visitors to the Philippines also increased by 15–16%. “Japan is an important market for us, and travel demand between our two countries continues to show robust growth,” he said, expressing strong confidence in the market.
In the Q&A session, Lao stated that the airline’s competitive edge lies in its low unit costs stemming from being based in the Philippines. Thanks to a more favorable cost environment compared with other low-cost carriers (LCCs) based in countries such as Japan and Singapore—where labor and airport fees are higher—Cebu Pacific can offer competitive fares. Scale benefits from its high market share also provide a boost.
It is the first Philippine airline to operate a fleet of around 100 aircraft and has introduced new types such as the Airbus A321neo and Airbus A330neo. The carrier has also placed what would be the largest order by a Philippine airline—up to 152 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family—and aims to further strengthen its business through scale and low unit costs. It is targeting 60 million passengers by 2035, more than double the current level.
Also attending the press conference, Mylene J. Garcia-Albano, Ambassador of the Philippines to Japan, highlighted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan, and she praised Cebu Pacific’s initiatives. “Cebu Pacific’s continued presence and growth in Japan clearly demonstrate how close and dynamic the relationship between our two countries has become,” she said.
On November 8 and 9, the airline held a pop-up event at SHIBUYA109 in Shibuya, Tokyo. Visitors could experience flight simulation using the latest technology and take virtual trips to popular destinations such as Cebu Island and Boracay Island, and a raffle for flight tickets was also held. Starting November 10, the airline will launch a sale with one-way fares from 100 yen.
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