PAL to fly to Saipan this year

MANILA, Philippines - After launching air services to Kuwait and Jeddah this month, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is planning to start flights to Saipan this year and a new destination in Europe by next year.

“We’re looking at starting flights to Saipan by June,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said in a telephone interview.

The flights from Manila to Saipan will be available three times a week.

“Right now, they (Filipinos) have to pass by Guam or Korea to get to Saipan,” he said.

PAL, which started offering flights to Kuwait on Jan. 17 and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 19, announced earlier it is also set to begin flying from Cebu to Los Angeles in the US on March 15.

For next year, Bautista said PAL is studying a plan to launch flights to a new destination in Europe to add to London which it currently serves.

“We’re still working on it. We need a new long-haul plane first,” he said.

PAL expects to finalize a purchase agreement worth almost $1 billion for six long-haul aircraft by next month. 

Bautista said earlier the airline has made a decision on the new long-haul aircraft to be acquired and would likely sign the deal by February. 

Among the options considered by PAL for its new long-haul aircraft are the Airbus 350 and Boeing 787.