Philippine Airlines has today finalized a purchase agreement for nine Airbus A350-1000s. The aircraft has been selected for the carrier’s Ultra-Long-Haul Fleet project and will fly nonstop between Manila and points in North America.
On Tuesday (June 20, 2023), from the Paris Air Show, Airbus announced that Philippine Airlines (PAL) has finalized a purchase agreement for nine long range Airbus A350-1000s. The agreement was signed by Philippine Airline’s President and Chief Operating Officer Captain Stanley K. Ng and Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, Christian Scherer, in the presence of PAL Holdings Inc.’s President & Chief Operating Officer, Lucio C. Tan III. Philippine Airlines has selected the A350-1000 under their Ultra-Long-Haul Fleet project and the aircraft will be deployed on nonstop routes between Manila and North America, including points on the U.S. East Coast and Canada. The new aircraft will join two Airbus A350-900s currently in service with the airline.
In today’s announcement, Philippine Airlines’ President and Chief Operating Officer, Captain Stanley K. Ng, said,
“This order will see PAL operating one of the youngest and most modern widebody fleets in Asia. We selected the A350-1000 to give PAL the power to match capacity closely to predicted demand on both the very longest routes to the North American East Coast but also on our prime trunk routes to the West Coast and potentially to Europe as well. At the same time the aircraft will use significantly less fuel than older aircraft of a similar size, which also brings an important reduction in carbon emissions.”
Also commenting on the A350-1000 order, PAL Holdings’ President and Chief Operating Officer, Lucio C. Tan III, said, “At Philippine Airlines we are committed to offering our passengers the best possible travel experience. These state-of-the-art aircraft will enable us to give them the convenience of nonstop flights on long range routes in a comfortable passenger cabin where our cabin crew can do what they do best – extend gracious service and world-class Filipino hospitality. The A350-1000 is our “Mission Aircraft” to connect the world and boost the Philippine economy and society.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International added,
“This order is another strong endorsement of the A350 as the world’s long range leader. In terms of non-stop flying capability, efficiency and passenger comfort it is proven to be best in class. It also brings significant reduction in emissions and an immediate contribution to industry sustainability goals. And in the larger widebody category, the A350-1000 has set a standard of its own, with the lowest operating costs and emissions for intercontinental service. We thank Philippine Airlines for its ongoing confidence in Airbus and look forward to working with the airline as the A350 becomes the flagship of its widebody fleet.”
The Airbus A350-1000 offers the longest range capability of any aircraft in production today and can fly 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 km) nonstop. At the end of May 2023, the A350 Family had won 967 firm orders from 54 customers worldwide. Currently, 535 A350s are in the fleets of 40 operators, flying primarily on long haul flights. In addition to the A350 on long haul intercontinental routes, Philippine Airlines operates Airbus A330-300s on services to the Middle East, Australia and Asia. PAL also operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321s on their extensive domestic and regional network from their hubs in Manila and Cebu.
Source: Airbus