Philippine Airlines is seeking a permit from the Civil Aeronautics Board to resume flights between Manila and New Delhi, India.
The flag carrier controlled by tycoon Lucio Tan filed with the CAB a request for resumption of flights to India, in accordance with the existing air services agreement between the governments of the two countries.
PAL flights to New Delhi were stopped in June 2013 amid low demand from local travelers. No Philippine carriers fly between Manila and New Delhi at present. PAL also plans to mount flights to Mumbai, India.
PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said the airline would deploy A321 NEOs for New Delhi and possibly Mumbai flights.
PAL’s six new Airbus A321 NEO long-range aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between May and December 2018.
“We eagerly anticipate the entry into service of our first four Airbus A350-900 aircraft in the second half of 2018. The fuel-efficient A350s will feature our most advanced tri-class cabin ever, designed for long-haul non-stop flights to London and New York,” Bautista said.
He said two more A350-900s arriving in 2019 would enable the airline to serve other US cities and/or the second destination in Europe.
“We will take delivery of five more Q400 NGs in 2018, for further domestic expansion and refleeting. PAL will continue retiring older A340s and Q400s, a process that began in 2017,” Bautista said.
PAL Holdings Inc., the parent firm of PAL, reported a total net loss of P904.7 million in the first quarter, a significant downturn from a P2.71-billion income a year earlier. Total revenues climbed to P33.3 billion from last year’s P29.12 billion.
The 14.4-percent improvement in revenues was led by increased passengers, additional flight frequencies and the introduction of new routes.
Passenger revenues in the first three months climbed to P27.78 billion from last year’s P24.65 billion, while cargo revenues improved to P1.80 billion from P1.47 billion.
Expenses escalated 32.4 percent to P34.4 billion from P25.94 billion a year ago.