LONDON – Philippine Airlines has announced its plans to operate non-stop services to Perth, Australia.
Philippine Airlines will begin this service from March 27 next year on a thrice-weekly basis using its Airbus A321neoLR aircraft.
Services will operate every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, departing Manila at 1205 local time and arriving in Perth at 0715 local time.
Such direct services enable travelers to reach Perth in just seven hours instead of the 11-13 hours that it would take with a stopover.
Executive Comments…
Commenting on this new Perth link was the Philippine Airlines President & COO, Captain Stanley K. Ng:
“We are delighted to say, ‘Mabuhay, Perth!’ as we expand our network to Western Australia”.
“The new nonstop flights give Philippine Airlines and travel partners a great opportunity to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist and business destination for travelers in Western Australia.”
“Likewise, we invite Filipinos to do business in Perth or visit family members while discovering this dynamic Australian region and building new friendships.”
Also commenting on this link was Kevin Brown, the CEO of Perth Airport:
“This exciting new route will inject more than 52,000 seats into the market each year.”
“We’re keen to see more Filipino students choose to study in Perth to help the education sector as well as our tourism and hospitality markets.”
“The same is true in reverse. With more than 7,000 islands and amazing beaches on offer, the Philippines also offers Western Australians an attractive holiday destination.”
Strong 2022 For Philippine Airlines…
The carrier’s expansion plans from the Summer into the Winter have been a result of what has been a strong first half of the year for the carrier.
Their results were announced back in August, whereby Philippine Airlines posted a record operating income of US$125 Million (PHP 6.6 Billion) and a net comprehensive income of US$71 Million (PHP 4.2 Billion) for the first half of this year.
PAL has also acknowledged that the two quarterly results are one of the most impressive since 2016. This is a major milestone for the airline.
Moreover, the airline has brought over approximately US$1.1 Billion or PHP 58.1 Billion in ancillary revenues, which translates into 258% of overall passenger revenue growth and a 31% increase in cargo revenues during the time frame between January to June 2022 when compared to the same period in 2021.
The overall expenses stood at US$986 Billion (PHP 51.5 B) for the same time frame. This figure also includes US$380 Million (PHP 19.9 B) in fuel expenses, which also signifies a significant increase in commodity prices affecting the global aviation industry, not limited only to The Philippines.
Overall…
It remains clear that Philippine Airlines is having a positive 2022, and such financial results are enabling slow and steady expansion into other regions globally.
Following the announcement of Perth, it is going to be interesting to see where the airline wants to take its operations next.
Utilizing the Airbus A321neoLR could provide some other successes later down the road, especially if the larger widebodies aren’t required from the demand perspective.
