MANILA: Another brand new Airbus A330-300 will be added to the growing fleet of Philippine Airlines (PAL) with the arrival yesterday from Toulouse, France of one of the 20 long-range and wide-body aircraft that it ordered last year.
The new aircraft will serve the airline’s new route to Abu Dhabi starting October 1, as the carrier makes its return to the Middle East.
On November 1, PAL will also fly to Dubai, the capital and largest city of the UAE with a population of 921,000.
PAL abandoned its Middle Eastern routes several years ago because it was unable to compete with Gulf carriers that receive subsidies on fuel expenses.
“This is a milestone for Philippine Airlines. We are now starting the next phase of our fleet renewal, anchored on new-generation A330-300 aircraft,” PAL president Ramon Ang said in a statement yesterday.
“The A330-300 will be servicing our guests and our very own overseas Filipino workers to fly back to their country using the flag carrier,” he said.
The Airbus A330-300 aircraft features seating for 414 passengers configured in two classes: premium economy and standard economy. Standard economy will have 375 seats while premium economy will offer 39 seats.
The aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 engines.
Last year, PAL placed an order for 45 A321 aircraft and 20 A330 aircraft to be delivered between 2013 and 2019.
So far, PAL has taken delivery of two A321 aircraft and one A330 aircraft. PAL said it expects to receive an additional five A330-300 aircraft before the year ends.
PAL is seen to capitalise on the increasing air passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region with its ambitious fleet build-up program, according to European plane maker Airbus.
According to Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast, Asia-Pacific will surpass Europe and North America in air passenger traffic, with annual volume expected to soar by 200 percent in the next 20 years, fuelled by economic growth, increasing accessibility of air transport services, ease of travel and migration.
The region’s traffic, as measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) or the number of paying passengers carried multiplied by the distance flown, is forecast to triple to 4.8 trillion in 2032 from 1.6 trillion last year. As a result, the Asia-Pacific is expected to further expand its lead in air traffic to a 34 percent share in 2032 from 29 percent last year.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
