On 27 February 2018, Cebu Pacific, announced the launch of 3 weekly services between Manila and Melbourne, starting 14 August 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, Cebu Pacific took delivery of 32 Airbus A321neos, two more Airbus A321ceos and six ATR 72-600 aircraft from its previous orders.

During 2019, Cebu Pacific had grown to operate more than 70 aircraft, including ATR 72-600 turboprops under its Cebgo subsidiary, which supported operations to smaller provincial airports. The carrier’s long-haul Airbus A330-300 fleet, configured in a high-density layout for low-cost operations, continued serving markets such as the Middle East and Australia, including Dubai and Sydney, while charter and leisure demand remained strong.

Then with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacting operations for all airlines in the world, Cebu Pacific was not least and in 2020, there was a three-month suspension of operations during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and a reduction of its workforce. Due to low passenger demand, the airline laid off 1,300 employees that year, and reported a loss for the year 2020.

In May 2021, it closed three fundraising transactions to help the airline recover from the pandemic, which consisted of a ₱16 billion loan from government-owned financial institutions and private banks, ₱12.5 billion from preferred stock, and ₱12 billion from convertible bonds. During this period, the carrier also reviewed its fleet strategy, accelerating the retirement of older Airbus A320ceo aircraft and focusing on more efficient A320neo and A321neo variants.

As travel demand recovered, it started rehiring retrenched employees in November 2021.

By 2022, as vaccination campaigns progressed and international borders reopened, Cebu Pacific began rebuilding its international network. The airline resumed services to key overseas Filipino worker markets in the Middle East and reactivated routes to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian destinations. The airline also continued receiving Airbus A321neo aircraft, which offered higher seating capacity and lower unit costs.

On January 25, 2023, Cebu Pacific resumed its remaining international flights that were suspended during the pandemic, including China, with the exception of Beijing. On April 21, 2023, Cebu Pacific reopened its Pampanga hub at Clark International Airport. By the end of 2023, after three consecutive financial years of losses, Cebu Pacific reported its first full-year post-pandemic profit.

In July 2024, Cebu Pacific shelved its plans to expand its long-haul operations. It then reduced its flights to China due to weak demand amid geopolitical tensions, and likewise terminated flights to Beijing. The airline focused instead on expanding regionally within a five-hour radius, launching flights to secondary cities in Southeast Asia. On July 16, 2024, it expanded its Bangkok operations by launching thrice-weekly flights to Don Mueang International Airport to complement its twice-daily Suvarnabhumi flights. As part of its regional expansion, it started flying thrice weekly to Da Nang on December 7, 2023, and Chiang Mai on October 29, 2024. It also returned to Kaohsiung (Taiwan) after a fifteen-year hiatus in August.

A major strategic development occurred in 2024 when Cebu Pacific announced one of the largest aircraft orders in Philippine aviation history. The airline signed a landmark agreement with Airbus for up to 152 A321neo aircraft.

Continuing its domestic expansion, Cebu Pacific expanded its regional network in Visayas and Mindanao, launching eighteen new inter-island routes from its hubs in Cebu, Davao City, and Iloilo, as well as select flights from Clark. Likewise, new international services from these hubs were either launched or revived: new direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok (Don Mueang) and Osaka began in mid-October, while Davao–Hong Kong services were relaunched in the same month including a new Davao–Bangkok service. It also resumed international flights from Iloilo International Airport after a four-year hiatus.

On January 16, 2025, it launched direct flights to Sapporo. On April 7, direct flights were launched between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh City.

As of today, the present of Cebu Pacific’s trajectory has therefore encompassed pre-pandemic expansion, severe contraction during the global health crisis, and a decisive recovery anchored in financial restructuring and one of the largest narrowbody aircraft orders in the Asia-Pacific region. The airline has emerged from the pandemic with a modernizing fleet cantered on the A320neo and A321neo families, a reinforced balance sheet, and a renewed focus on network growth across Asia-Pacific, positioning it to capitalize on the Philippines’ long-term air travel demand growth.