Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is beefing up its commercial passenger operations, announcing the addition of 1,500 more flights this month.
PAL Acting President and COO Stanley K. Ng said the carrier is implementing a “major expansion of PAL’s overseas and local network as international borders reopen and domestic travel restrictions ease.”
“We are seizing the opportunity to intensify our efforts to promote international tourist travel to the Philippines, as well as to respond to rising demand for flights to serve overseas Filipinos and a recovering economy,” he said in a statement.
The additional flights represent a 52-percent rise in regular scheduled operations, a figure that Ng said demonstrates the carrier’s confidence in the revitalization of the travel and tourism industry.
“We are reasonably optimistic that air travel will rebound in the months ahead, signaling a resurgence for Philippine tourism,” he said.
The expanded international operations of PAL for March include non-stop flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Honolulu, Toronto, and Guam.
It also includes more flights to Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Haneda, and Narita.
PAL said it is adding flights to Riyadh, Dammam, Dubai, Doha, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau.
On the domestic side, PAL is increasing its flights from Manila to the following destinations: Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Legazpi, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Boracay, and Tacloban.
It will also operate flights to Coron, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Butuan, Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Roxas, Cotabato, Ozamiz City, Pagadian and General Santos City. The carrier is also strengthening its Cebu hub with linkages to “13 airports in Mindanao, Luzon and the rest of the Visayas, including Clark, Siargao, Butuan, Davao, Boracay and Coron.”
Davao will see regular flights to Iloilo and Tagbilaran, in addition to Manila.
PAL will continue serving Antique, Basco, Laoag, Catarman, Calbayog and Siargao.
“We congratulate our government partners and other industry stakeholders for paving the way for a revival of air travel to, from and throughout the Philippines,” Ng said.