Han ‘Solo’

Lucio “Han” Tan III has been a busy man this past two months after he assumed his new role as president of PAL Holdings Inc., the holding company that owns flag carrier Philippine Airlines.  Han, likewise, is also the concurrent president of the LT Group of Companies and Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Perhaps, as part of his new role as the ruling patriarch of the Tan clan, Han visited his relatives in China to reacquaint himself with his grandfather’s family that continue to live in the mainland, as Han himself basically grew up in America.

Almost as soon as he returned to Manila, he was again off to France to attend the all-important Paris Airshow held every other odd year and was scheduled from June 19 to 25 this year in Le Bourget, France, an hour-and-a-half drive from Paris.

Tan’s attendance at the Paris Air Show, however, was also a signal to the aviation sector that PAL, like most other airlines, is set to ramp up its activities, ready to compete with its peers in the international market.

Most eligible bachelor

Accompanying Han in Paris was Stanley Ng, president of PAL, Alvin Limqueco, PAL’s acting chief financial officer, and Atty. Carlu Fernandez – Han’s de facto chief of staff, and you might say, Han Solo’s Obi Wan Kenobi/Chewbacca.

Let me digress a little to explain why I call Han “Solo.”  Han, as everybody knows by now, is the eldest unmarried son of the late Lucio “Bong” Tan Jr. With his new role as the patriarch of the Tan clan, in the Chinese community, he is now the “prize” match to the unmarried and eligible daughters of the country’s upper echelon Chinese families.

Han, in a previous interview, had acknowledged that with his Chinese heritage, he is open to an arranged marriage.

Josephine Gotianun-Yap, chair of Filinvest Land. Inc., in a recent dinner with members of the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) which Han was not able to attend, had noted with some concern that Han has been robbed of his childhood now that he has inherited the huge task of running the empire of his grandfather.

Aware that Han has been nearly buried by work, Mrs. Gotianun-Yap admitted that she has been inviting him to parties, to which Han’s representative jokingly asked her: “Are you introducing him to potential girlfriends?” To which Mrs. Gotianun gave out a hearty laugh and said, “that is why I invite him to parties!”

Paris Air Show

With Han serious about maintaining his health and also as his primary way to decompress, finding suitable hotel accommodation with gym facilities proved to be a challenge, as it turns out – unlike Americans – French hotels are not into gym facilities, preferring a more relaxed atmosphere for their hotel guests.

The PAL team eventually chose the gorgeous Philippe Starck-designed Too Hotel at the outskirts of the city, reflecting the younger and more hip style and vibe of PNB Holding’s new leadership.

Paris in June was not only teeming with visitors from the all-important Paris Air Show aviation event, but also from the Paris Fashion Week, where they also saw Heart Evangelista, and  enjoyed the one-night Fete Dela Musique, which ushers in the Parisian summer, where people listen to music emanating from different bars and restaurants, and people are able to dance in the streets.

The Paris Air Show, however, is actually held at the Le Bourget Airport, which is a one-and-a-half hour drive outside of Paris because of traffic. On the sidelines  of the air show, the PAL team signed three separate agreements for the purchase of additional Airbus aircraft, a Rolls Royce engine contract, and another maintenance, repair and operations contract with Air France-KLM.

At the Paris Air Show, the team also had a brief encounter with AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes. AirAsia and PAL’s low cost carrier arm had in the past engaged in talks for a possible partnership that unfortunately never materialized.

The first agreement signed finalized the earlier memorandum of understanding for a firm purchase of nine A350-1000s that will be used for the ultra long haul fleet project of PAL, servicing mainly its bread-and-butter route Manila-North America, including the East Coast of the US and Canada, which has an affluent Fil-Am community.

No Europe flight resumption

Unfortunately, PAL has no plans in the immediate future to resume flights to key destinations in Europe, such as London or even Rome, as the European routes have not really been revenue earners for the flag-carrier as they do not provide the much needed connectivity for passengers flying to Europe.

London, for instance, is not part of the eurozone Schengen visa scheme and needs additional air and train connectivity for PAL passengers compared to other international air carriers that target international air hubs.

The second agreement signed during the Paris Air Show was the PAL -Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance engine support agreement covering 32 CFM56-5B engines that power PAL’s A320ceo aircraft.

And lastly, the third agreement signed was a TotalCare service agreement with Rolls Royce for its TrentXWB-97 engines that will power the nine A350-1000s aircraft that PAL is buying from Airbus.