PAL expands flights to Middle East

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is expanding its flights to the Middle East, a hub for a large number of skilled Filipino workers.

A statement over the weekend showed that Philippine Airlines was reintroducing its regular service to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—Riyadh on Dec. 1 and Dammam on Dec. 3.

Saudi Arabia is home to over 1.8 million Filipinos, the airline said.

“[ Philippine Airlines] has been traditionally favored by Filipinos in the Middle East because its direct service to Manila means that they get home faster compared to other carriers, whose flights can involve up to two stops before landing in Manila,” the airline said.

Philippine Airlines will deploy its brand-new twin-engine Airbus 330-300 aircraft on the nonstop flights to Riyadh and Dammam.

Flights to Riyadh (PR654) depart Manila every Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8:15 AM, arriving at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, at 1:30 PM of the same day.

Flights to Dammam (PR682) leave Manila every Monday, Tuesday and Saturday at 1:35 p.m., arriving at King Fahd International Airport, Dammam, at 6 p.m. of the same day.

Described as the most cost-efficient wide-body aircraft in operation today, the A330-300 is Philippine Airline’s new flagship for medium-range routes, to replace the older A330 models that were acquired from 1997 to 1998.

The new A330-300 is especially designed for the cost-conscious Filipino market in the Middle East. It accommodates 414 passengers, configured into two classes—Premium Economy, with 39 seats, and Economy, with 375 seats.

The airline ordered 20 A330-300 from Airbus, the first arrived last Sept. 26.

Philippine Airlines first flew to Riyadh on March 1, 1987. When the service was suspended two years ago (March 2011), PAL used the B747-400 aircraft.

Meanwhile, flights to Dammam started on July 3, 1982, landing at Dhahran International Airport. The service moved to King Fahd International Airport in November 1999. The service was suspended in August 2001.