MCIA posts double-digit growth amid Middle East war

Local

THE country's second busiest gateway logged double-digit growth in both passenger and air traffic in the first five months of 2026, even as fares climbed due to the Middle East-driven fuel surcharge hike.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) served 5.6 million passengers across its domestic and international terminals from January to May, according to data from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).

The figures are 12.16 percent higher than the roughly 5 million passengers recorded over the same stretch in 2025.

Air traffic volume climbed even faster, up 32.53 percent, from 41,962 movements last year to 47,586 this year.

Domestic passengers remained MCIA's biggest driver, with 4,109,044 travelers passing through Terminal 1. International traffic, though smaller, grew faster in percentage terms, 1,498,730 passengers from January to May, up about 23 percent from 1,221,256 in the same period last year.

January was the strongest month for both categories in both years, a pattern MCIAA and industry watchers link to the Sinulog Festival.

This year, the ASEAN Tourism Forum, hosted in Cebu, is seen as an added factor behind the January bump.

April bucked the summer travel-season trend, posting the lowest passenger volumes of the five-month period for both domestic and international flights.

The dip came as the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) raised the fuel surcharge to Level 19, one step below the maximum, after the US-Iran conflict pushed global jet fuel prices sharply higher.

At that rate, travelers paid an extra ₱627 to ₱1,834 on domestic flights and ₱2,070.77 to ₱15,397.15 on international routes.

Domestic numbers recovered slightly in May, but international passenger volume kept falling, dropping to 241,832 from April's 266,331.

MCIA has a capacity of up to 16 million passengers annually and currently serves 44 destinations, both local and international.(RBE)