PAL eyes 2 Europe destinations

MANILA, Philippines - National flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), jointly owned by taipan Lucio Tan and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), is set to fly to two destinations in Europe within the year after the European Union lifted the ban preventing local airlines from entering the European airspace.

PAL senior vice president for operations Ismael Augusto Gozon told reporters during the blessing of the airline’s brand new Airbus A321-200 yesterday that the airline is looking at mounting direct flights to two European countries within the year.

Gozon said the national flag carrier is looking at flying back to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Madrid.

“We will fly to two European destinations before the end of the year,” he stressed.

He disclosed that PAL would likely use the Airbus A340 or Boeing 777 for direct flights to Europe.

No less than PAL president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang announced last July 10 that PAL is preparing for the much awaited return to popular European destinations after the European Union lifted the ban imposed in 2010 after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) addressed major safety concerns.

In March of 2010, the 27-member European Commission imposed a ban on Philippine carriers from European airspace for the failure of CAAP to reform the country’s civil aviation system.

In 2008, the safety rating of the Philippines was downgraded by the US FAA upon the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to Category 2 from Category 1after CAAP failed to comply with safety standards for the oversight of air carrier operations.

PAL is in the middle of a major refleeting program with an end view of acquiring 100 new aircraft. It has entered into a $9.5 billion contract with the EADS Group for the delivery of 65 aircraft.

PAL entered into a $7 billion deal for the acquisition of 45 A321 and 10 A330-300 last August and exercised an option to acquire 10 more A330-300 worth $2.5 billion last September.

PAL yesterday received the first A321-200 and expects another A321 on Aug. 16. It also expects the delivery of its first A330-300 in the last week of September. In all, PAL would take the delivery of 12 aircraft this year, 17 next year, 10 in 2016, two in 2017, four in 2018, and four in 2019.

Gozon said the first A321 would be used to service regional flights to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok as well as domestic flights to Cebu and Davao.

 â€œThe A321’s arrival heralds a new, exciting era for PAL. It not only gives us size to fit our expansion plans but also the flexibility to match capacity to specific route requirements,” Ang said in a statement.

PAL has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321 from Hamburg, Germany and is the first of 64 new Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2012 under a major fleet modernization program. These include 45 single aisle A321s and 20 widebody A330s.