PAL set to permanently retire A340s as A350 gains traction

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is on the verge of permanently retiring the Airbus A340-300, as its A350-900s get up to speed on long-haul routes. The carrier has one A340-300 that can be put in use should there be a technical issue with another aircraft, says Jose Perez, VP of corporate communications at PAL. He says that recent unsourced reports that the type has been permanently retired are “close to the truth.” “We actually made a decision to retire them sooner rather than later,” he says. “We might have an announcement to make at some point. There is one aircraft we can use if [there are] technical difficulties with one of our 777s or A350s. [Utilisation is] very low. It may fly to Los Angeles or San Francisco, and then be parked again. Right now, we're reviewing that. We might have to make a decision at a certain point to ground all the aircraft.” The permanent retirement of the type will mark the end of A340 operations in the Asia-Pacific.<br/>