PAL to launch European flights by 2025

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to fly to a European destination as early as 2025, once the wide-body jets it ordered from Airbus become part of its fleet.

In a forum with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, PAL announced that it aims to introduce Manila flights to Europe toward the end of 2025.

PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng said PAL would deploy the A350-1000s that it procured from Airbus in launching the European service.

In a previous interview with The STAR, PAL spokesman Cielo Villaluna said the flag carrier would talk to European regulators soon to pitch its plan to fly to the continent. PAL is assessing its opportunities to launch direct flights to European cities, particularly Paris.

In June, PAL signed a firm order to buy nine A350-1000s, considered as one of the most efficient wide-body aircraft for its capacity to fly up to 9,700 nautical miles nonstop. The units will begin arriving in 2025 and will be used to operate long-haul flights.

In a related development, PAL expanded its interline coverage with one of the largest carriers in the world, allowing tourists to connect to several destinations in the country.

PAL is enhancing its interline agreement with Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, providing it with the opportunity to access domestic points from Cebu and Clark.

Prior to this, PAL and Emirates only shared air routes from Manila and Dubai as part of the deal that they signed early this year.

The partnership allows Emirates passengers to use just a single ticket when flying to any Philippine destination by way of Manila, Cebu, and Clark. Also, they get to enjoy the most flexible baggage policies offered by PAL and Emirates.

From Cebu, PAL can ferry Emirates customers to several points nationwide, including Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Davao and Puerto Princesa. Further, PAL can bring Emirates passengers to Busuanga, Cebu, and Caticlan via Clark.

Out of Manila, PAL can provide linkage to multiple destinations across the islands like Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo, among others.

On the other hand, Emirates can transport PAL guests from its Dubai hub to select destinations in Europe and the Middle East, such as Barcelona, Frankfurt, Jeddah, London and Paris.