PAL to fly to 3 more destinations in Australia

MANILA, Philippines – Legacy carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is beefing up its presence in Australia by mounting flights to 3 more destinations in the continent.

Ramon Ang, PAL president and chief operating officer, said in a statement on Sunday, June 2, that the airline would fly to Darwin, Perth, and Brisbane this month.

This will bring to 5 the number of PAL’s Philippine-Australia routes. The airline now flies only to Sydney and Melbourne.

“The new connections are envisioned to increase passenger traffic between the Philippines and Australia and strengthen bilateral ties between both countries. Return flights from these cities make Manila an ideal gateway to popular Asian destinations like Hong Kong, China, Japan and Korea and a jump off point to the country’s top travel spots,” Ang stressed.

The additional routes also bring to 39 the legacy carrier’s international destinations.

PAL will fly via the Manila-Perth-Manila route (via Darwin) 4 times weekly, and the Manila-Brisbane-Manila routh (via Darwin) thrice weekly.

While flights to Darwin and Perth are maiden journeys, the flight to Brisbane marks PAL’s third return to the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland.

The Manila-Brisbane route was opened by PAL in 1982 to 1998, and re-opened briefly in 2009 until 2010.

The airline now deploys 7,400 seats a week on these routes, making it the largest carrier operating between the Philippines and Australia. 

Last year, 191,150 Australian nationals visited the Philippines, making Australia the country’s 6th largest tourism source market.

“With these air links, Australian tourists may enjoy Manila’s attractions such as its resorts and historical landmarks before connecting to other international and regional destinations,” he said. – Rappler.com