PAL links flights to Copenhagen, Milan

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will mark the first time that its flights will be connected to Copenhagen and Milan through a codeshare agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA).

In an advisory, PAL said it signed a codeshare partnership with SIA, one of the finest carriers in the world, to link their flights in the Philippines and Europe.

PAL and SIA are now seeking regulatory approval to get the air linkage running, hoping that their flights can get interconnected within the fourth quarter of the year.

Codeshare refers to the aviation practice of two or more airlines publishing the same flight under their respective designators. This means that seats for a trip offered by one operator may be sold by its partners.

PAL will codeshare on SIA’s flights to six destinations in Europe: Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, Rome and Zurich. Once the agreement is approved, this will mark the first time that PAL will reach Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, and Milan, considered as the financial center of Italy.

Further, the codeshare will enable the flag carrier to return to Frankfurt, Paris, Rome and Zurich, destinations that it used to serve in the 1980s and 1990s.

On the other hand, SIA will codeshare on PAL’s trips from Manila to 27 destinations around the Philippines.

Down the line, PAL and SIA intend to expand the codeshare to include SIA’s flights to additional points in Europe, with the goal of adding Australia, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng said the codeshare with SIA gives Filipinos an access to multiple cities in Europe, where thousands of migrant workers reside. Ng also hopes that the codeshare promotes Philippine islands to SIA’s passengers.

PAL hopes to land on European soil on its own by 2025 once its new set of wide-body jets from Airbus arrives. In June, the airline signed a firm order to buy nine Airbus A350-1000s that it will deploy for long-haul flights, such as Canada and the US.

Apart from its tieup with SIA, PAL reaches Europe through its codeshare with Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates.

Under this, Emirates may transport PAL passengers from its Dubai hub to select cities in Europe and the Middle East, including Barcelona, Frankfurt, Jeddah, Kuwait, London, Paris and Rome.