MCIA Stats: Slight Increase in Passengers in 2024

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2024 was a busy year for the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

The Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) achieved another milestone in 2024, accommodating a total of 11,315,225 passengers from January to December.

This was reported through a post on the MCIA’s Official Facebook Page, indicating the total number of passengers and flights throughout the year.

To be specific, there were 8,506,299 domestic passengers and 2,808,926 international travelers. That’s a 13% and 12% increase from the previous year, respectively.

Passenger numbers grew by 13% from 10,031,597 in 2023. Of note, the airport already served 10,201,113 passengers in 2024 by November, as reported by CDN Digital. (2025)

The airport ended the year on a high note, with 1 million passengers arriving at the airport in December alone. This resulted in a 20% passenger and seat capacity growth from the same month the year prior.

2024 showed an 11% total increase in seat capacity from 2023 as well.

Furthermore, air traffic movements or flights increased by 10%, and the airport had 21 total airlines (five local and 16 foreign) and 41 destinations (27 domestic and 14 international).

MCIA IN 2024

As a result of a successful year, more services have been added and several accolades have been claimed by the famous Cebu airport.

Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, officially took ownership of the GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the developers of the MCIA.

According to an article in The Freeman, this transfer was initially agreed upon by the two companies in 2022, when AIC first promised to turn the MCIA into a “smart airport”. (2022)

As reported by Sunstar Cebu, several features of the MCIA have been attributed to the AIC, namely the Silent Airport Initiative and Cebu Connect. (2024)

The Silent Airport Initiative was announced in March last year, aiming to adapt to the same practice followed by world-renowned airports like the Changi Airport in Singapore, the Dubai International Airport, and more.

CDN Digital shares that a “silent airport” uses visual materials to communicate with passengers instead of speaker-based systems. This lets passengers navigate the boarding gates more easily, while offering a more relaxing environment.

Electronic boards have less noise pollution so passengers can have a peaceful space to read a book or listen to music.

Cebu Connect, on the other hand, allows for better airport transfers and shortened layover times.

This includes the installation of pick up and drop off stations, as well as 24/7 customer support. The system also uses improved X-ray scanners, additional counters, and more security and airport personnel.

Last December, the MCIA, along with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB), announced the addition of a modern jeepney route connecting the airport and the Lapu-Lapu City Market.

This offers an alternate public transportation option to the MyBus from SM City Cebu. The modern jeepney route will cater to at least 18 modern jeepneys and carry 24 passengers each.

The jeepney route will pass by Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and will operate for 24 hours.

For destinations, the airport resumed flights going to Osaka in Japan and added direct flights to Incheon in Hong Kong and Narita in Japan.

Notably, the MCIA announced direct flights enroute to Bantayan Island through the airport in Santa Fe, giving travelers better access to one of the island’s most cherished tourist spots.

As for accolades, the MCIA was officially upgraded to a 4-star rating from Skytrax, the official international air transport rating body.

According to CDN Digital, the London-based organization upgraded Terminal 2, pointing out its improvements in its “world-class facilities and exceptional customer experience.”

*****

An article in BusinessWorld says that the Philippine aviation industry can still grow, even if the global supply chain is struggling as airline companies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, stakeholders of the MCIA are expecting the number of passengers to increase back to pre-pandemic levels. With more improvements to be added, it won’t be long until the airport reaches another milestone.

As of January 2025, over 1,000 passengers had already come to Cebu for the Sinulog Festival, but this does not include other passengers that have come for work or vacation.

The MCIA has already started the year off right, and it will only get better from here on out.

REFERENCES: 

Erram, Morexette Marie. 2025. “Mactan airport sees slight increase in passenger volume in 2024.” CDN Digital. 
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/614941/mactan-airport-sees-slight-increase-in-passenger-volume-in-2024

Dagooc, Ehda M. 2022. “Aboitiz infra unit to develop MCIA into a ‘smart airport.” The Freeman. 
https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-business/2022/09/30/2213264/aboitiz-infra-unit-develop-mcia-smart-airport

Cacho-Laurejas, Katlene. 2024. “Aboitiz now sole owner of MCIA.” Sunstar Cebu.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/aboitiz-now-sole-owner-of-mcia

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