PAL plans new Airbus A350 routes

Philippine Airlines is deploying its Airbus A350-900s to upgrade key long-haul routes and might use 2019’s deliveries to open new international markets. The carrier has received four A350-900s from a total order for six. It will use the aircraft to start direct flights from Manila to New York Kennedy from Oct. 29, replacing a one-stop service via Vancouver. PAL has a high-gross-weight version of the aircraft, so will carry a full load of 295 passengers each way on this route, PAL president Jaime Bautista said. The initial four aircraft are sufficient to allow PAL to operate the 4X weekly New York flights and its flights from Manila to London Heathrow, plus some frequencies on another route such as San Francisco, Bautista said. PAL’s last two A350s from its current order are scheduled to arrive in Q1 2019. These will allow the carrier to consider adding another long-haul route to the US or Europe, Bautista said. Any such route launch would probably occur in the 2019 Q4.<br/>