PAL to resume Abu Dhabi flights by end-October

MANILA, Philippines— Lucio Tan-led flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced it will resume flights from Manila to Abu Dhabi by the end of October despite an on-going diplomatic standoff between Qatar and its gulf neighbors.

“Effective October 31, PAL shall resume its nonstop thrice weekly service between Manila and Abu Dhabi after experiencing increased demand for flights on the route,” the airline said in a statement on July 13.

PAL earlier suspended flights from Manila to Abu Dhabi on July 8 of this year due what it then called “route assessment initiatives”. 

The airline will operate flight PR 656 – every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – departing Manila at 11:45AM and arriving in Abu Dhabi at 5:45PM; PR 657 operates on the same days leaving Abu Dhabi at 7:30PM local time and touching down in Manila at 8:50AM the following day.

PAL also said it will offer bi-class service (business and economy) across all its Middle East routes by the end of the year, providing passengers on board with amenities, free baggage allowance, as well as inflight entertainment.

Aside from Abu Dhabi, PAL also operates flights to Saudi Arabian cities Riyadh (daily), Dammam (5x weekly), Jeddah (3x weekly), as well as Kuwait (4x weekly) and Dubai (daily).

The carrier also flies to Doha in Qatar 4 times weekly but has announced it will not carry Qatari nationals on these flights in order to comply with guidelines issued by the gulf nationals currently arrayed against Qatar. – Rappler.com