PAL to fly Pope Francis in Philippine visit

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) will fly Pope Francis from Manila to Tacloban City on January 17 next year during his four-day visit in the Philippines.

The flag carrier announced Wednesday that it will also bring the Roman Pontiff straight from Manila to Rome on January 19.

"PAL will also fly the Roman Pontiff directly to Rome, non-stop, at the end of his four-day visit to the Philippines," it said.

Pope Francis will land in Tacloban City to visit victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) and Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

In a statement, PAL said it will draw from experience as official carrier of Pope John Paul II for his Philippine visits in 1981 and 1995.

The company, however, did not specify its plans and other flight modifications for the Roman Catholic Church's visible head. 

PAL's flights to or from Tacloban City are suspended on January 17 during Francis' visit.

Passengers who have booked flights on the date were advised to rebook their tickets as Tacloban airport will be closed to all commercial flights.

As part of the preparations for next year's papal visit, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also issued a notice to all airlines, suspending all airline operations at Tacloban on Jan. 17, 2015 for security reasons.