PAL to launch new destinations in MidEast, Asia

MANILA, Philippines – Local legacy carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to launch 6 new international destinations across the Middle East and Asia within 2013 as it modernizes its fleet.

Airline officials said on February 2 that the new destinations — which may include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, China and Taiwan — will be launched over the year.

This as the airline completes its major re-fleeting program, which includes 100 brand new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

PAL, which is jointly owned by tobacco and airline magnate Lucio Tan and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., has already completed more than half of its re-fleeting program.

For these new destinations, PAL has filed an application before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to impose a $170 fuel surcharge on passengers of flights to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as Doha in Qatar.

The flag carrier also intends to bill a fuel surcharge of $75 for passengers going to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, $55 for passengers flying to Guangzho in China, and $50 for those going to Kaoshiung in Taiwan.

PAL is also looking at mounting flights to Istanbul in Turkey, Kuwait, and Phonm Penh in Cambodia this 2013.

It has also expressed its interest in launching flights to Europe and is set to ask the European Union for an exemption from a ban on Philippine carriers from European airspace using its certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as its connections with European companies.

In April 2010, the 27-member European Commission decided to impose a ban Philippine carriers including PAL from European airspace for the failure of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to reform the country’s civil aviation system. – Rappler.com