PAL flies to ME after 15 years

MANILA, Philippines - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday flew to the Middle East after 15 years, with its initial flight to Abu Dhabi from Manila using its brand-new Airbus A330-300.

PAL president Ramon Ang said “the return of PAL to the Middle East will not only offer Filipino workers the most direct link to the Philippines but also provide travelers convenient connections with PAL’s extensive international and domestic route network from our hub in Manila.”

PAL will first fly to Abu Dhabi five times a week. It will depart Manila at 4:25 p.m. and arrive at 9:45 p.m. at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, 38 kilometers southeast of the United Arab Emirates capital.

The return flight will arrive in Manila at 12:25 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Four other cities in three Gulf countries will also be linked by PAL and its affiliate PAL Express to Manila before the year ends – Dubai (in United Arab Emirates) and Doha (in Qatar) in November and Riyadh and Dammam (both in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in December.

PAL Express will operate its first long-haul flight to Dubai on Nov. 6. PAL Express will also use A330-300 on a five-times-a-week service to Dubai.

A330-300 has 414 seats, equipped with more powerful Rolls Royce Trent engines and has bigger fuel tanks, allowing the airplane to carry more passengers and cargo than the current A330 model in the PAL fleet.

Meanwhile, the Clark International Airport (CIA) has become the second Philippine destination of the Dubai government’s Emirates Airlines, after its first Dubai-Clark flight transporting mostly overseas Filipinos workers (OFW) landed here yesterday afternoon.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano welcomed the first flight from Dubai, a result of five years of talks between CIAC and Emirates officials.

“The coming of Emirates is a game-changer. From being the airport favored by low-cost airlines, ClA has elevated its stature as an airport that can take in the world’s largest airlines,” Luciano said in a statement.         – With Ding Cervantes