Philippine Airlines said Wednesday it will launch regular flights from Manila to Perth, Australia by March next year to boost tourism and trade between the two countries.
“We are delighted to say, ‘Mabuhay, Perth!’ as we expand our network to Western Australia,” said Captain Stanley Ng, president and chief operating officer of PAL.
“The new nonstop flights give Philippine Airlines and travel partners a great opportunity to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist and business destination for travelers in Western Australia. Likewise, we invite Filipinos to do business in Perth or visit family members while discovering this dynamic Australian region and building new friendships,” he said.
PAL said that starting March 27, the three-weekly services would operate every Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Citing a “win for Western Australia business, tourism and exports”, Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown said: “This exciting new route will inject more than 52,000 seats into the market each year. We’re keen to see more Filipino students choose to study in Perth to help the education sector as well as our tourism and hospitality markets. The same is true in reverse. With more than 7,000 islands and amazing beaches on offer, the Philippines also offers Western Australians an attractive holiday destination.”
PAL operates the largest network of flights between the Philippines and Australia. Perth is PAL’s fourth Australian gateway, joining Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, all of which are served with nonstop flights using Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft.
PAL offers a total of 20 weekly direct flights to Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The first direct flights between Manila and Perth will help stimulate business and holiday travel of Australians to the Philippines, as well as Filipinos visiting the western regions of the Australian continent.
Australia is the Philippines’ third largest source of tourist visitors, with more than 89,000 Australians visiting the Philippines in 2022 thus far.
PAL’s service provides new connectivity via the airline’s Manila hub for Perth-bound passengers traveling from Los Angeles, Bangkok, Hong Kong and points in Japan as well as from Cebu, Davao and other key Philippine destinations.
“The schedule into Manila will maximize the opportunity to connect to some incredible Philippines destinations, including Cebu and Davao, as well as making the most of Philippine Airlines’ extensive network throughout Asia and beyond to the USA,” said Brown.