Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced plans to welcome a new Airbus A321CEO into its fleet this week, aimed at enhancing its network reliability. This addition will support PAL’s domestic and regional routes, catering to 199 passengers in a dual-class configuration.
The A321CEO is the first of several aircraft that PAL is planning to acquire or reactivate over the next few months. The near-term additions to the fleet will include one Airbus A330-300 widebody aircraft with a capacity of 363 seats, intended for medium haul routes, and one De Havilland Dash 8-400NG aircraft with an 86-seat capacity for PAL’s inter-island operations.
PAL is also in negotiations to secure additional aircraft. The airline is actively coordinating with its suppliers and service partners to reactivate more aircraft that have been parked for extended periods due to global supply chain delays impacting the worldwide airline industry.
Christoph Gaertner, PAL Vice President for Network Planning, said, “We are taking various actions to boost our fleet count and enable us to meet the continuing surge in travel demand while minimizing delays and cancellations. We are working with our suppliers as well as aircraft and engine manufacturers on initiatives to increase efficiency without compromising safety, which is our absolute top priority. This is our obligation to our passengers, who expect a pleasant flying experience when traveling on our global network.”
In addition to these fleet augmentation plans, PAL recently announced a firm purchase order for nine brand-new Airbus A350-1000 long haul aircraft. These 380-seater jets will serve PAL’s signature routes to North America and potentially to Europe, starting from 2025. These advanced jets will be the most modern to fly the Philippine skies and solidify PAL’s position as the operator of one of the youngest and most modern widebody fleets in Asia.
