Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

AIRPORT-AIRLINES

Jekki Pascual

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Cebu Pacific said the airline industry is facing challenging times amid the Middle East conflict, which pushed fuel prices up.At the launch of the Cebu Pacific Training Academy, Chairman Lance Gokongwei admitted that fuel price shocks are affecting all airlines, including Cebu Pacific which gets most of its jet fuel from the Middle East.“Right now, it’s a very challenging time for the aviation industry, especially in the Asia Pacific region. As you know, we import most of our fuel from the Middle East, through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.”The war has severely impacted the availability and the prices of fuel, and we just hope this war is resolved soon, as it’s causing massive disruption to airlines and, of course, to their customers,&quot;Gokongwei added. The airline has secured its jet fuel for the coming months, but CEO Michael Szucs said the bigger problem is the pricing. The Civil Aeronautics Board recently raised the fuel surcharge from level 8 to level 19, or surcharges from P627 to 1,834 for a domestic flight.“We think we got adequate supply of fuel. For us at the moment, the real challenge is on the price, that&#x27;s the question we&#x27;re having to answer. What is the price likely to be? Because, of course, we&#x27;ve seen some extremely elevated prices. We&#x27;re hoping once we get into June, July, August, etc., that the prices will come off,” Szucs added.The airline has also started to implement tactical adjustments like suspending some flights, including some international flights from Iloilo, Davao, and Clark, as well as flights to Dubai.But Szucs remains optimistic about growth this year. The airline initially targeted 30 million passengers this year, up from 27 million in 2025. This also coincides with the airline’s 30th anniversary. Szucs said they will have to review their targets, but for now, growth is still possible.“We are a very solid airline coming off very strong financial results. We&#x27;ve got a lot of financial resilience. We&#x27;ve been through COVID before. We didn&#x27;t get any assistance then. We did it all by ourselves,” he added.

Cebu Pacific Chairman Lance Gokongwei said it’s a challenging time for airlines due to high fuel prices, but the company remains optimistic for growth.

Cebu Pacific Chairman Lance Gokongwei said it’s a challenging time for airlines due to high fuel prices, but the company remains optimistic for growth.

Lance Gokongwei: Airlines face tough times but Cebpac still optimistic

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Lance Gokongwei: Airlines face tough times but Cebpac still optimistic

Jekki Pascual,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 27, 2026 05:53 PM PHT

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Updated April 28, 2026 11:55 AM PHT

Read More:

cebu pacific

lance gokongwei

middle east crisis

oil price hike

philppines

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