PAL expects delivery of 4 more aircraft

MANILA, Philippines – The national carrier expects to take delivery of four new aircraft before the end of the year.

“The next delivery (of Airbus A321) is in October. And then the last one is in November,” Philippine Airlines (PAL) president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista told reporters.

For the Boeing 777, he said, one would be delivered by the end of next month and another in December.

The B777 aircraft would be used to operate long-haul flights.

He said there is no need to tap financing from banks for the new aircraft.

The new aircraft are expected to support the expansion of PAL’s operations.

In support of the government’s efforts to decongest the country’s main international gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Bautista said earlier, PAL plans to start using the Clark International Airport within the year.

He said PAL is looking to launch flights from Clark in Pampanga to Incheon in South Korea this year.

For the initial operations in Clark, he said PAL would have about five to 10 flights per day.

PAL has around 150 flights out of Manila.

The government is encouraging airlines to use the Clark International Airport because of congestion at the NAIA.

Last year, all four terminals of NAIA served over 36 million passengers, higher than the annual maximum capacity of 35 million passengers.

PAL, which has a three-star rating, is aiming to become a five-star airline in five years.

The carrier has flights to 30 domestic destinations and over 40 international points.