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Philippine Airlines fleet

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Philippine Airlines is composed of wide-body and narrow-body aircraft from five families (including PAL Express fleet): Airbus A320ceo family, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 777.

Current fleet

As of May 2022, Philippine Airlines operates the following aircraft:

Philippine Airlines fleet[1][2]
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
B E+ E Total
Airbus A320-200 7 — 12 12 132 156 To be retired and replaced by Airbus A321neo.[3][4]
To be reconfigured to 180 seats.[5]
— — 180 180
Airbus A321-200 18 — 12 18 169 199
Airbus A321neo 8 13 12 — 156 168 Replacing Airbus A320-200.
2 aircraft in Airbus Cabin Flex (ACF) configuration.
Deliveries postponed until 2026.[6]
12 — 183 195
Airbus A330-300 9 — 18 27 323 368
18 24 267 309 Two aircraft to be reconfigured to 359 seats.[5]
— — 359 359
Airbus A350-900 6 — 30 24 241 295 RP-C3508 wears the Love Bus decal.
To be reconfigured to 313 seats.[5]
30 — 283 313
Boeing 777-300ER 10 — 42 — 328 370
Total 50 13

Aircraft types

Airbus A320

Airbus A320-200

The Airbus A320-200 currently flies in short-haul destinations in Southeast and East Asia as well as domestic destinations.

Philippine Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A320 on August 5, 1997. The airline received 25 Airbus A320s since 1997 with the latest delivery in 2012. While the airline will retire older A320s, the newer A320 fleet will be transferred to the airline's low-cost subsidiary PAL Express.[3]

Airbus A321

Airbus A321-200

The Airbus A321 is the main aircraft utilized for short-haul and medium-haul flights that serve Southeast and East Asia as well as domestic destinations.

On August 28, 2012, Philippine Airlines ordered 24 Airbus A321-200 equipped with IAE V2500 engines.[7] The first A321 was delivered on August 7, 2013.

Airbus A321neo

Airbus A321neo

On August 28, 2012, Philippine Airlines ordered 10 Airbus A321neos equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines. The airline, in total, ordered 34 A321s of both the current (CEO) and new engine option (NEO) variants.[7]

On March 29, 2015, the airline announced that it will be receiving the A321neo starting 2017. However, the aircraft's delivered was delayed to May 2018 due to problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines.[8] PAL received its first A321neo (new engine option) on June 1, 2018[9] while the other five A321neos were delivered until December 2018. The remaining fifteen A321neos in the SR variant, on the other hand, will be delivered in the following years.[10] However, PAL only received two A321neo SRs in 2019 as the airline revises its re-fleeting plan.[11]

The first 6 Airbus A321neos will serve Philippine Airlines' medium-haul and long-haul routes such as Guam, Singapore, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Sapporo, Brisbane and Sydney,[12] while the other SR variants will be serving short-haul regional routes in Southeast Asia and other neighboring countries.[10]

Airbus A330

Airbus A330-300

The Airbus A330-300 is primarily deployed in Asia and Oceania routes. They are also deployed in US territories like Honolulu and Guam[13] and domestic destinations such as General Santos, Cebu and Davao (flights starting with 1 (e.g. PR 1811/1812, PR 1845/1846).

Philippine Airlines introduced their first Airbus A330-300 on July 30, 1997 with the delivery of the first aircraft, F-OHZM. Philippine Airlines later acquired eight Airbus A330-300s as replacement for their ageing Airbus A300B4 fleet's gradual retirement. On August 28, 2012, Philippine Airlines ordered 10 new Airbus Airbus A330-300s,[7] but later the airline later expanded its orders to 20 on October 1.

The newer A330s use a pair of Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, unlike the older General Electric CF6 engines that powered the earlier A330 fleet, with the latter being retired on August 31, 2014.

Airbus A350

Airbus A350-900

The Airbus A350-900 is primarily deployed in the airline's long-haul flights to cities such as New York, Toronto, London, and Vancouver. The A350s are also used in regional Asian flights during peak seasons or when there is high demand in destinations such as Seoul, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, and Tokyo. PAL's A350s have an maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 278 tonnes, enabling non-stop Manila-New York flights without payload limitations in either direction, a 7,404 nmi (13,712 km) flight which began in October 2018.[14]

On April 9, 2016, Philippine Airlines finalized the purchase agreement with Airbus covering the firm order of six A350-900s, plus an extra six A350s if required. The contract firms up a Memorandum of Understanding announced during the 2016 Singapore Airshow. The A350-900s, which will have a three-class configuration, are scheduled to be deployed on new routes to North America and Europe. The A350-900s also replaced the ageing Airbus A340-300s that serves North America and Asia.

In February 2018, Jaime Bautista, president of the airline's holding company, PAL Holdings Inc, stated they were also interested in the larger Airbus A350-1000 variant.[15]

On July 14, 2018, PAL received its first A350-900.[16] In February 2019, Philippine Airlines took delivery of their fifth A350 with the iconic Love Bus decal, representing the 40th anniversary of their partnership with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. It flew to Bangkok in March 2019.[17]

Boeing 777

Boeing 777-300ER

The Boeing 777-300ER is primarily used for long-haul flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto. It was also used for service to London, and New York, but was later replaced by the A350-900. They are sometimes deployed in Asian and Australian routes as well if the demand needs it.[18]

In 2009, Philippine Airlines leased 2 Boeing 777-300ER to replace the former flagship Boeing 747-400 from GECAS. The first aircraft was delivered in 2009. On March 12, 2007, Philippine Airlines finalized the purchase agreement with Boeing covering the firm order of 2 Boeing 777-300ERs, plus 2 options. The first PAL-owned aircraft was delivered on 20 June 2012,[19] with it being the third Boeing 777-300ER for the airline.

The purchase of Boeing 777s effectively signals the end of additional 747-400 orders and production of the said aircraft in passenger configuration and a win for Boeing versus the Airbus A340-600 that was also being considered. In December 2016, 2 more Boeing 777s were delivered. In March 2017, an additional 2 Boeing 777s were leased from Intrepid Aviation with both aircraft being delivered in December 2017.[20][21]

Philippine Airlines is eyeing to acquire the next-generation Boeing 777X to gradually replace their ageing Boeing 777 fleet.[22]

Former fleet

Former fleet of Philippine Airlines
Boeing 737-300
Boeing 747-200B
Airbus A300B4
BAC One-Eleven 500
Airbus A340-200
NAMC YS-11
Hawker Siddeley HS 748
Aircraft Total Year Introduced Year Retired Replacement Notes Refs
Airbus A300B4 13 1979 2001 Airbus A330-300 [23]
Airbus A319-100 4 2006 2014 Airbus A320-200 [24]
Airbus A340-200 4 1996 1999 None Leased from AFS [25][26][27]
Airbus A340-300 4 1996 1997 None Leased from Gulf Air.
4 1997 2014 None
6 2013 2018 Airbus A350-900 Leased from AFS. Ex-Iberia aircraft.
Last A340-300 operator in Asia.
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.MK 1 1 1976 1981 None [28]
BAC One-Eleven 400 4 1966 1971 BAC One-Eleven 500
BAC One-Eleven 500 13 1971 1992 Boeing 737 Classic
Beech Model 18 2 1941 Un­known Douglas DC-3
Boeing 707 1 1960 Un­known Douglas DC-8
Boeing 727-100 2 1981 1984 Boeing 737 Classic
Boeing 727-200 2 1979 1981 Boeing 727-100
Boeing 737-300 15 1989 2008 Airbus A320-200 [29]
Boeing 737-400 3 2000 2007 Airbus A320-200
Boeing 747-200B 9 1979 2000 Boeing 747-400 EI-BWF was damaged during an incident, which was a test run for Bojinka plot. [30]
Boeing 747-200M 4 1988 1997
Boeing 747-400 4 1993 2014 Boeing 777-300ER RP-C7471 carried 1992-1998 Philippine president Fidel Valdez Ramos on its delivery flight.
Boeing 747-400M 1 1996 2014 Originally the second 747-400M of Kuwait Airways (registration 9K-ADE), which was cancelled by the intended airline in favor of Boeing 777's.
de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter 6 1955 Un­known Un­known Was primarily used for rural services in Mindanao (in-line with former President Magsaysay's policy) due to its STOL capabilities. Several were lost due to accidents. [31][32]
Convair CV-340 Un­known 1950s 1960s Un­known
Douglas DC-3 14 1946 1978 Un­known
Douglas DC-4 41 1946 Un­known Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-6 2 1946 Un­known Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-6B 1 1952 Un­known Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8 14 1962 1979 Airbus A300
Fokker F27 Friendship 18 1960 1967 Hawker Siddeley HS 748
Fokker 50 11 1988 1999 Airbus A320-200
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 21 1967 Un­known Un­known
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 6 1974 1996 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 [33]
McDonnell Douglas MD-11CF 2 1996 1998 None Leased from World Airways. [34]
McDonnell Douglas MD-11ER 2
NAMC YS-11 12 1972 Un­known Un­known
Short 360-300 8 1987 Un­known Fokker 50 One crashed near to Iligan Airport.
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Un­known Un­known Un­known Un­known
Vickers Viscount 4 1959 Un­known NAMC YS-11A-600

Fleet maintenance

The entire Philippine Airlines fleet of Airbus and Boeing jets were formerly maintained in-house at the PAL Technical Center, which consisted of two hangars. The hangars contained an engine overhaul shop, two engine test cells, and test shops. The responsibility of maintaining the fleet, as well as all the facilities, was subsequently transferred in 2000 to Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP), a joint venture of Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik AG, a leading maintenance provider in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, and Macro Asia Corporation, one of the Philippines' leading providers of aviation support services and catering for foreign airlines, owned by Lucio Tan, the majority owner of PAL.[35] LTP currently maintains an 8-bay hangar and workshops occupying 110,000 square meters in Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.[35][36]

Currently all A320 including all A321 aircraft that are already delivered and those to be delivered are being maintained by Lufthansa. PAL Express is the budget arm of PAL and has overtaken PAL in 2012 in domestic seats second only to Cebu Pacific (5J).[37]

On May 18, 2018, Philippine Airlines signed a deal with Lufthansa Technik Philippines to maintain its new Airbus jets for 12 years. The deal, which took effect on May 31, is estimated to be worth P13.6 billion ($260 million) during its lifespan.[38]

References

  1. ^ "PAL Aircraft". www.philippineairlines.com. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Orders and deliveries". Airbus. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Mabuhay Magazine January 2018". Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  4. ^ "Mabuhay". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Camus, Miguel R. (February 19, 2022). "PAL reduces business seats, ditches premium economy". Inquirer. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Balinbin, Arjay L. (August 24, 2021). "PAL returns 2 planes, postpones new deliveries". BusinessWorld. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Visconti, Katherine (August 28, 2012). "PAL orders 54 Airbus aircraft worth $7B". Rappler. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  8. ^ Delavin, Imee Charlee C. (June 16, 2017). "PAL defers delivery of A321NEO planes". BusinessWorld. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  9. ^ Lumawag, Reuel John F. (June 3, 2018). "PAL receives first A321neo". Sunstar. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Valdez, Denise A. (September 2, 2019). "Philippine Airlines' A321neo SR to be used for regional flights". BusinessWorld. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  11. ^ "Philippine Airlines to take delivery 6 aircraft in 2019". www.philstar.com. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "PAL sustains 4-Star rating with major projects". www.philippineairlines.com. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. ^ "Philippine Airlines adds A330 Guam service in W18". Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  14. ^ "PAL inaugurates non-stop New York to Manila flights". usa.inquirer.net. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Dela Paz, Chrisee (February 15, 2018). "PAL eyes Airbus A350-1000 as plane marks 1st touchdown in Manila". Rappler. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "PICTURES: Philippine Airlines receives first A350-900". Flightglobal.com. July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  17. ^ "PAL's 5th A350: 'The Love Bus'". www.philippineairlines.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  18. ^ "Philippine Airlines launches B777". buyingbusinesstravel.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  19. ^ "Boeing - Orders and Deliveries".
  20. ^ "PAL's 9th B777". www.philippineairlines.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "Philippine Airlines receives 10th Boeing 777-300ER from Aviation PLC". Travel Daily Media. December 19, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  22. ^ Mercurio, Richmond (June 6, 2019). "PAL eyes new Boeing aircraft". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  23. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of A300 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  24. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of A319 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  25. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of A340 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  26. ^ "Philippine Airlines A340 (RP-C3438)".
  27. ^ "A340 fleet: last Asian operator, Philippine Airlines, bows out". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  28. ^ "Will Philippine Airlines ever bring back the PAL Freighter?". AIRTRAVELLER PH. May 10, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of B737 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  30. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of B747 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  31. ^ "THE PHILIPPINE AIRLINES DE HAVILLAND DHC-3 OTTER". Facebook. Mond Aviation Shop. November 1, 2021.
  32. ^ goriob2010 (September 12, 2013). "1955 0706 PAL DHC-3 Otter Mindanao Rural Service". Flickr. Philippine Herald.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of DC10 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  34. ^ "Philippine Airlines Fleet of MD11 (History) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  35. ^ a b "Key Facts - Lufthansa Technik Philippines". www.lht-philippines.com. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  36. ^ "Facility - Lufthansa Technik Philippines". www.lht-philippines.com. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  37. ^ Lufthansa Technik Philippines, archived from the original on June 22, 2008, retrieved April 22, 2008
  38. ^ News, ABS-CBN. "Philippine Airlines taps Lufthansa Technik for Airbus maintenance". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 24, 2018. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)

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