MANILA – The country’s flag-carrier Philippine Airlines on Tuesday said it has ordered 54 Airbus aircraft for $ 7 billion.
“The orders we are placing with Airbus will play a key role in revitalizing PAL and growing trade and tourism in this country,” PAL chairman Lucio Tan said, in a statement quoted by the Philippine News Agency.
The state media also quoted PAL president Ramon Ang as saying: “With these aircraft we will be able to offer more passengers the best the industry has to offer across our Asia-Pacific network. At the same time, we will benefit from the low operating costs associated with new generation aircraft and the reduced impact on the environment.”
PAL placed a firm order with Airbus, for delivery starting next year, for 54 aircrafts — 34 single aisle A321s and 10 of the newer model A321, and 10 wide-bodied A330-300s, the latest High Gross Weight models.
John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, said: “We are extremely pleased that PAL has placed its confidence in our aircraft to meet its future requirements.”
“This announcement demonstrates once again the popularity of both the A320 Family and the A330, which remain leaders in their size categories in terms of operating economics, reliability and passenger comfort,” Leahy said.
The first batch of aircraft are being ordered under a major fleet modernization program of the airline with deliveries starting next year.
The single aisle A321 aircraft are being purchased to enhance the airline’s product offerings on domestic and regional routes, as well as support alliances with partner airlines.
The A330s will be operated on higher demand regional routes and longer range services to the Middle East and Australia. The company will announce engine selections for all the aircraft at a later date.
The A321 is the largest member of the best-selling A320 Family, which offers the lowest operating costs of any single aisle product line today. These costs will be reduced even further with the arrival of the new engine option (NEO) in 2015, delivering additional fuel savings of up to 15 percent.
To date, over 8,500 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered and more than 5,200 delivered to 365 customers and operators worldwide.
The twin engine A330 is one of the most widely-used wide-bodied aircraft in service today.
Airbus has recorded more than 1,200 orders for the various versions of the aircraft, with around 900 now flying with some 90 operators worldwide. In addition to passenger and freighter aircraft, the A330 is also available in VIP and military transport / tanker variants.
From its modern hubs at the Centennial Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in the Visayas, PAL serves 45 destinations of which 19 are domestic and 26 international points in 14 countries and territories.
PAL has code-share arrangements with one domestic and seven foreign airlines, allowing the airline to add more domestic and international points to its route network. (PNA)
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