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MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines Incorporated (PAL) is set to operate flights to Kuwait and Jeddah starting January 17 and 19, respectively.
This brings the flag carrier’s total number of Middle East destinations to 7, which includes Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dammam, Dubai, and Riyadh.
“Opening up new routes to and from the Middle East such as Kuwait and Jeddah enables us to serve the flight needs of our ‘kababayans’ who work overseas,” PAL President and COO Jaime Bautista said in a statement on Friday, January 16.
“Our flights aim to provide our Filipino compatriots, as well as leisure and business travelers, the distinct Philippine Airlines brand of service,” Bautista added.
With more than 190,000 Filipino workers in Kuwait and about 300,000 in Jeddah, PAL said it has a captive market.
Passenger load factor on PAL’s newest routes reflect high numbers. (READ: PAL, Cebu Pacific oppose anew UAE air talks)
“Jeddah serves as a gateway for pilgrimages to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Pilgrims may now choose PAL for their travels in observance of the Umrah and Hajj,” Bautista said.
Flight PR 668 departs Manila at 10:00 pm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and arrives in Kuwait the following day at 6:55 am local time.
Flight PR 669 departs Kuwait at 2:55 pm local time every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and arrives in Manila at 8:15 am the following day.
Flight PR 658 departs Manila at 10:30 pm every Tuesday and Saturday, and arrives in Jeddah the following day at 8:45 am local time.
Flight PR 659 departs Jeddah at 2:15 pm local time every Wednesday and Sunday, and arrives in Manila the following day at 8:20 am.
PAL said its new A330-300 will be the fleet for the new Middle East routes.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said last December it had the bulk of the Middle East market during the first 9 months of the year.
“Overall traffic between Manila and Sydney also grew by 67% since Cebu Pacific entered the market in September 2014,” Cebu Pacific said.
Cebu Pacific added that its Middle East growth was driven by the launch of Kuwait, Riyadh, and Doha in recent months, as part of the airline’s expansion in the region. – Rappler.com
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