Philippine Airlines at 85: ‘A Legacy of Firsts’
Your heart soars when you learn that your flag carrier is an airline of firsts.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is Asia’s first commercial airline. It owns the distinction of being the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific Ocean (1946) and fly to Europe (1947).
Now, on its 85th year, PAL is the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly an Airbus A350-1000.
I have also heard from frequent flyers that it is the first airline to put individual tablecloths on Business Class tray tables.
“Philippine Airlines has a legacy of firsts, a lasting source of national pride and a reflection of a nation on the rise,” affirmed Lucio Tan III, PAL holdings president, at the 85th anniversary of the airline and the unveiling of the Airbus A350-1000 at the Lufthansa Technik Hangar at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
“In 1941, PAL was born as Asia’s first airline, at a time when the Philippines itself was defining its place in the world. In 1946, PAL became the first Asian carrier to cross the Pacific, carrying the hopes of a nation eager to connect, to engage, and to be seen,” LTIII, the millennial taipan, grandson of PAL Holdings chairman Dr. Lucio C. Tan, said during the ceremony, which was graced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos.
“Through the decades, PAL continued to evolve, expanding its reach and capabilities with a singular purpose: to serve generations of Filipinos wherever life, work, or opportunity might take them. Wherever PAL flies, it carries the character of the Filipino: resilient, warm, and dignified,” he added.
LTIII said with pride that at the start of this year, PAL was recognized as Asia-Pacific’s Most Punctual Airline for 2025, achieving an on-time performance of 83.12 percent, as reported by Cirium, the leading global aviation data and analytics company.
“This achievement did not happen overnight. In 2022, Philippine Airlines was not even among Cirium’s top 10 airlines for on-time performance in Asia-Pacific. In 2023, we rose to eighth place. In 2024, we moved further to seventh. And in 2025, we reached the top,” he said.
During the celebration, during which PAL’s new anthem “Fly with Heart” made its debut, PAL’s first Airbus A350-1000 was unveiled with a tap on a button by President Marcos. The curtains behind the stage parted to reveal the star of the night — the Airbus A350-1000, resplendent on the tarmac under clear moonlit skies.
LTIII said the aircraft will serve as the anchor of PAL’s long-haul operations, particularly to North America.
“For us, this aircraft stands as a powerful symbol of our resurgence. It represents our confidence to compete globally, while remaining deeply rooted in who we are as Filipinos,” he declared.
LTIII reiterated what his grandfather said at the height of the pandemic, “Like the Philippine flag, we will continue to stand tall and strong as the national carrier and premier airline of the Philippines.”
In conclusion, he quoted his grandfather, who with his grandmother Carmen he cited for providing direction to the flag carrier, “The Philippines is Philippine Airlines. And Philippine Airlines is the Philippines.”
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