PAL to fly to Oman next year

MANILA, Philippines - National flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), jointly owned by taipan Lucio Tan and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), is looking at flying to Oman starting next year as it focuses on the Middle East where majority of the overseas Filipino workers are based.

In its application for allocation entitlements, PAL is seeking seat entitlements from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for the Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) equivalent to four weekly frequencies starting Jan. 30 next year.

PAL stated in its application that the seat entitlements is in accordance to the existing bilateral air service agreement and confidential memorandum of understanding entered into by both countries in December of 2009.

Just last Friday, PAL president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang led the launching of 11 international routes and a new domestic destination as part of the national flag carrier’s expansion binge.

The new destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 2; Darwin, Brisbane and Perth in Australia on June 1; Guangzhou in China on June 2; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 1; Doha in Qatar on Nov. 1; Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 1; Dubai in the UAE on Nov. 1 and Basco on May 1.

Ang added that the Philippines’ robust economy, recent credit rating upgrade, exciting tourist destinations and the country’s geographical advantage as a jump off point to many Asian cities are also behind PAL’s aggressive expansion.

With the wider route network, Ang said foreign tourists and business travelers can fly to Manila, enjoy the Philippines for a few days, or connect directly to PAL’s other Asian, Australian and North American destinations.

Since the entry of SMC, PAL has embarked on a massive refleeting program aimed at acquiring 100 new aircraft to replace its existing fleet. To date, PAL has a fleet of 42 aircraft consisting of five Boeing B747-400s and four B777-300ERs as well as four Airbus A340-300s, eight A330-300s, 17 A320-200s, and four A319-100s.

Just like the Aquino administration, Ang is confident that the ban imposed by Europe and the US preventing local airlines from flying and mounting additional long haul flights would finally be lifted within the year.

Representatives from the US Federal Aviation Authority (US FAA) and the European Union are expected to visit the Philippines within the next two months to look into the country’s aviation safety standards.

Meanwhile, two international airlines have applied for foreign air carriers’ permit before the CAB.

Oman Air – the flagship company of the Sultanate of Oman’s Civil Aviation sector – and China-based Spring Airlines Co. Ltd. are seeking the authority to operate international scheduled air transportation services in the Philippines.

Oman Air which started operations in 1993 has a fleet of 15 Boeing 737-800, seven Airbus A330, and four Embraer E-175 while Spring Airlines operate 33 Airbus A320 aircraft.