With rocky chapter behind it, PAL seeks to boost fleet

Having just come from another bitter chapter in its history, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is now beefing up its fleet as it projects further demand for air travel during the upcoming summer season.

The flag carrier, in a recent statement, said it had “reacquired” an Airbus A330, which was delivered to Manila on Jan. 31 from Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport in France via Dubai.

The flight was conducted by a 13-person team led by captains George Gilbert Gan and Francis Isidro.

A330 is a widebody aircraft offering 18 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 267 economy seats.

It will service routes to Hawaii, Australia and several destinations in Asia.

Asked to provide details on the reacquisition, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Inquirer: “The pandemic decimated air travel and just like other carriers across the globe, it was necessary to return several planes as part of restructuring initiatives.”

In 2021, as it tried to survive the raging pandemic, it had to downsize and cut the number of its aircraft. Based on the reorganization plan contained in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition it filed in the United States that year, the “optimization” of PAL’s fleet size “shall reduce … fleet from 91 operating aircraft as of Dec. 31, 2019 to a long-term operating fleet [of 70].”

PAL has 80 aircraft as of September 2022.

“With the pandemic receding and air travel recovering, PAL plans to further expand the fleet in the coming months,” the Lucio Tan-led airline said.

Along with fleet expansion, Villaluna also previously said they were moving to fully restore flight capacity to prepandemic levels given passenger traffic momentum.

“The aviation industry is riding on the wave of revenge travel. Passenger loads and forward bookings are positive indicators of this resurgence,” she told the Inquirer.

Last month, PAL reopened flights to China via the Guangzhou and Xiamen routes. INQ