PAL takes delivery of first A330-300

Toulouse, France – Philippine Airlines has taken delivery of its first A330-300 as part of a massive refleeting  program that aims to  restore  the flag carrier to its old glory and eventually be counted among Asia’s top-tier airlines.

The aircraft was handed over to PAL during a special ceremony at Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France yesterday.

PAL senior vice-president for operations Ismael Augusto Dizon said the twin engine A330, with a maximum take-off weight of 235 tons, is touted as a game changer for the airline, “ opening up new frontiers in our rapidly growing network as well as in service innovations for our passengers.”

Marketed by Airbus as the “right aircraft, right now”, the A330 will redefine the long-haul, air-travel experience and offer passengers greater levels of space, comfort, innovation and style, Dizon said.

The new aircraft is the first of 44 single-aisle A321s and 20 wide-body A330-300s that are set to arrive until  2019 as part of the airline’s refleeting program worth nearly $10 billion.

PAL president Ramon S. Ang said this was the largest aircraft order in Philippine history.

The A330 is one of the most widely used and most cost-efficient widebody aircraft in service today, recording  1,256 orders and ramping up production to up to 10 aircraft a month.  It has logged more than 25 million flight hours on 5.5 million flights with carriers worldwide, demonstrating an operational reliability of over 99 percent while covering diverse routes ranging from 30 minutes to 14 hours.

Asia’s fast developing carriers have favoured the A330 for its ability to serve both high density intra-regional routes and long-haul intercontinental flights.

Dizon said the aircraft will have its commercial debut on October 1 when PAL begins flight to Abu Dhabi, marking the flag carrier’s return to the Middle East.

The A330 is earmarked for the  Middle East route, which will allow  overseas Filipino workers to fly back to  the country via the flag carrier.  It will also be deployed on  some European trunk routes, starting with London in early November,  the first step in an ambitious plan for resuming flights to Europe since 1998. The Manila-London Heathrow route will initially be served with five weekly frequencies.