LAPU-LAPU CITY — Cebu’s Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) once again proved why it is the premier gateway in the Visayas and Mindanao, leading Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc.’s (AIC) airport portfolio in passenger arrivals for 2025. Across AIC’s airports, total traffic reached 16.17 million passengers, of which MCIA recorded 11.6 million passengers, up nearly 3 percent from 11.3 million in 2024. Laguindingan International Airport (LIA) in Misamis Oriental handled 2.35 million passengers, while Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA) logged 2.22 million. Following their handovers to AIC in April and June 2025, LIA and BPIA recorded 1.6 million and 1.07 million passengers, respectively, marking a strong start under the company’s management. MCIA remains the country’s busiest airport outside Manila, with LIA and BPIA ranking as the sixth- and ninth-busiest nationwide. The year-on-year increases highlight steady growth across AIC’s network. MCIA’s 3-percent rise in passengers demonstrates resilience and strong appeal to both domestic and international travelers. LIA and BPIA, meanwhile, are showing early momentum as regional hubs, reflecting growing tourism and business activity in Cebu, Bohol and Northern Mindanao. “2025 has been a landmark year for our airports as we continued to expand connectivity for both domestic and international travelers,” said AIC Vice President and Head of Airports Rafael Aboitiz. “Passengers arriving at MCIA, LIA and BPIA now have easier access to key destinations across Cebu, Bohol and Northern Mindanao, making travel within the Philippines more seamless than ever,” added Aboitiz. The record passenger volumes came despite a challenging year marked by the 6.9-magnitude Bogo City earthquake, the 7.4-magnitude Davao Oriental earthquake, and Typhoons Tino and Uwan, yet AIC airports’ maintained operations and growth. MCIA was named Airport of the Year-Asia at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2025. New nonstop routes launched in 2025 now connect Cebu directly to Siquijor via Sunlight Air and San Vicente, Palawan via Cebu Pacific, providing faster, more convenient access to key destinations. Connectivity initiatives such as CEB Connects, CEB+ and CEB Balik also contributed to passenger growth. CEB Connects streamlines air-to-air transfers, CEB+ links the airport to nearby islands via Mactan Wharf, and CEB Balik provides an OFW Facilitation Kiosk, reinforcing MCIA’s role as the Visayas-Mindanao OFW gateway. Travelers from Cebu and surrounding provinces can now reach Bohol via fast ferry, Northern Mindanao via LIA and international destinations through MCIA, which serves 13 international routes with 20 airlines. The growth at MCIA, alongside strong performances from LIA and BPIA, underscores Cebu’s continued emergence as a central hub for air travel and regional economic development.
