Philippine Airlines Seeks More Widebodies And Aims For Profit

With a successful year in sight and high demand for air travel, Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to finalise an order for more widebody aircraft in the coming months.

PAL CEO Stanley Ng was quoted in the local press. The airline has since verified his views, saying that the company aims to “revisit” its order book and consider purchasing additional aircraft, notably the bigger A350-1000.

According to data collected by Cirium Fleets, PAL is an existing operator of the A350-900 and currently operates two aircraft of this type. Due to a company restructuring, the airline no longer operates as many as six -900s.

At a press conference celebrating the airline’s 82nd birthday, Ng did not mention how many planes the company would want to buy. The interest in the larger variant is familiar to the airline; in 2018, two years after it first committed to six -900s, the company voiced a desire to expand its fleet to -1000s.

Ng also revealed to the press that the airline would reactivate seven grounded planes before the year’s end, increasing the total number of operational aircraft to 75. Further, A321neo deliveries are confirmed until 2026, bringing the total to 13.

“The capital expenditure might be almost double because of all the improvements that we want to invest in, including system upgrades and customer relationship management systems,” Ng said.

Ng notes that the airline’s financial performance for the quarter ending 31 March was “positive,” The company is “optimistic” about turning a profit in 2023 as long as demand for international and domestic travel remains high. Since completing its reorganisation in late 2021, the airline has been operating at a profit for most of 2022.