PAL seeks to mount flights to Israel

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is seeking regulatory clearance to mount direct flights to Israel, following the signing of a bilateral air agreement last month.

Philippine Airlines, in a Dec. 9 application to the Civil Aeronautics Board, had requested 14 frequencies to fly to Tel Aviv, Israel. The regulator is scheduled to hear the request on Jan. 21 next year.

A filing comes after the CAB and its Israeli counterpart concluded in early November a successful round of air talks resulting in 21 weekly flights to any point between the two countries, a government official said.

CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla earlier said the new air agreement would replace the previous air service deal sealed in 1951. Previous flight entitlements were much “lower” during that time, he noted. Philippine Airlines flew to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s, Arcilla said.

The air talks also included the so-called fifth freedom flights per week on one intermediate point in Mumbai, India and another in Madrid, Spain.

“This means that (Philippine Airlines) can fly to India, unload and pick up passengers and proceed to Israel, or unload and pick up in Israel and proceed to Madrid,” Arcilla said.

Philippine Airlines was earlier allowed by the European Union to fly to the continent.

The agreement also covered co-terminal and stopover rights to any third country for the 21 flights, he noted.

This means that a Philippine carrier can bring passengers to Tel Aviv and proceed to Rome, for example. Miguel R. Camus