PAL wants to fly to Oman by 2014

MANILA, Philippines – If all goes well, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will fly directly to Oman by early 2014, according to a statement released by the company Sunday, April 28.

The legacy carrier, jointly owned by Ramon Ang-led San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and the Lucio Tan group, has applied for seat entitlements with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for the Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) equivalent to 4 weekly frequencies beginning Jan. 30, 2014.

PAL stated in its application that the seat entitlements are in line with the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement and Confidential Memorandum of Understanding entered into by both countries in December 2009.

PAL recently announced it is expanding its reach with the launch of 12 new routes.

The new destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 2; Darwin, Brisbane and Perth in Australia on June 1; Guangzhou in China on June 2; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 1; Doha in Qatar on Nov. 1; Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 1; Dubai in the UAE on Nov. 1; and Basco, Batanes on May 1.

PAL president and COO Ramon Ang said they see stronger demand for travel on the back of the Philippines’ robust economy, recent credit rating upgrade, exciting tourist destinations and the country’s geographical advantage as a jump-off point to many Asian cities.

Since the entry of San Miguel, PAL has embarked on a massive refleeting program aimed at acquiring 100 new aircraft to replace its existing fleet. PAL now has a fleet of 42 aircraft consisting of 5 Boeing B747-400s and 4 B777-300ERs as well as 4 Airbus A340-300s, 8 A330-300s, 17 A320-200s, and 4 A319-100s.

Ang is confident that the European Union (EU) and the US will soon lift the ban on Philippine carriers.

Representatives from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the EU are expected to visit the Philippines within the next two months to look into the country’s aviation safety standards.

Meanwhile, Oman Air – the flagship company of the Sultanate of Oman’s Civil Aviation sector – and China-based Spring Airlines Co. Ltd. are seeking the authority to operate international scheduled air transportation services in the Philippines.

Oman Air, which started operations in 1993, has a fleet of 15 Boeing 737-800, 7 Airbus A330, and 4 Embraer E-175 while Spring Airlines operates 33 Airbus A320 aircraft. – Rappler.com