EU lifts ban on PAL flights

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) can start flying direct to Europe starting July 12, the European Commission (EC) announced Wednesday.

The EC, the executive body of the 28 member-state European Union, announced the lifting of the ban on PAL flights in its updated "EU air safety list".

PAL is the first airline from the Philippines allowed back into European skies since 2010 following improvements in aviation safety in the country, the commission said in a statement.

"The EU air safety list was created for the protection of European skies and citizens, but it can also serve as a wake-up call to countries and airlines in need to get their safety house back in order," EC Vice-President Siim Kallas said. "Today we confirmed our willingness to remove Philippines airlines from the list as they show real commitment and capacity to implement international safety standards in a sustainable manner."

The EC decision was based on its assessments of PAL's ability to follow aviation safety regulations, as well as on-site safety reviews.

The decision to lift the ban on PAL was unanimous, the commission said.

Today's Commission decision was based on the unanimous opinion of the EU Air Safety Committee in which safety experts from each of the 28 Member States participate, as well as from Norway , Iceland , Switzerland, and EASA.

"This is a confirmation of the great work performed by our Filipino partners, especially [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] and Philippines Airlines, in addressing air safety issues. It is a real pleasure to congratulate [CAAP Director General William] Hotchkiss and his team personally for the extraordinary work they have done," European Union Ambassador Guy Ledoux said.

PAL TO RESUME FLIGHTS TO LONDON, PARIS

Ramon Ang, president and chief operating officer of PAL, welcomed the EC's decision.

"The lifting by the European Union of the ban on PAL to fly to Europe is another testimony to PAL's reputation as a safe airline," he said in a statement.

Ang said this was the result of the Philippine government's efforts in addressing aviation industry safety concerns.

He said PAL plans to expand its international route network in Europe as the flag carrier returns to popular destinations as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid.

"When we fly back to Europe after an absence of 15 years, we can boast of a newer fleet of aircraft and top quality customer service. More than providing Filipinos living and working in Europe with the most direct link to Manila, we hope to bring the best of the Philippines to Europe and the best of Europe to the Philippines," he added.

Ang said PAL can provide better service to passengers in the face of stiff competition with other carriers.

"PAL has entitlement of 7 flights a week to London, 6 to 7 flights a week to Paris. We have to review our agreement with other countries," he said in a press conference Wednesday.

Hotchkiss, meanwhile, expects US aviation authorities to follow the EU's lead and possibly upgrade the Philippines' aviation category before the end of the year.

The Palace said the EU's decision to lift its ban on PAL is "a sign of improvement in Philippine aviation standards."

It commended CAAP and the Department of Transportation and Communications.

"This is good news for PAL, and is a sign of the improvement in Philippine aviation standards," said Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO).

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, said it plans to take part in an EU Air Safety Commission meeting later this year.

According to the EC, all air carriers from the Philippines were banned from the EU in March 2010 following very poor results from an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit in 2009.

Two more ICAO audits were held in October 2012 and February 2013 before the commission held an on-site inspection in June this year. - with reports from Henry Atuelan, dzMM; ANC




http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/07/10/13/eu-lifts-ban-pal-flights

I'm not so sure I believe Ramon Ang, PAL's recently appointed President and COO, when he says that the airline intends to fly to European destinations for the very simple reason that PAL has always stated it has no intention of resuming European flights and instead will concentrate on building its network to Australia and the United States. If his statement is true, it represents a fairly massive U-turn by the airline's management but, there again, for all intents and purposes, PAL is now part of the San Miguel Group which has very deep pockets.

It may have allocations to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt but it's quite another thing to turn those into landing and take-off slots - and that's assuming it has the aircraft that can make the trip, which it currently doesn't. It has taken delivery of the first of four Boeing 777s but they're not the ER version (as far as I know) and would need to refuel en route; none of its ageing 747 fleet are suitable. The 777s are intended to replace the 747s currently flying to the west coast of the US and Australia.

I hope PAL really does resume European services but they will be in tight competition with the likes of Qatar which could drop its fares without any hurt and force PAL out.

“The first flight [destinations] will be Paris, London, Rome and Amsterdam. As you all know, we have recently acquired a long-range Airbus. We have all the right equipment to serve European customers,” Ang said. In a separate statement, the CEO mentioned that the airline will also fly to Frankfurt and Madrid.


Airline passengers going to and from European destinations will enjoy faster flights because of the the European Commission's (EC) decision to lift its ban on Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier's president and chief operating officer said Wednesday.

Ramon Ang, in an interview on ANC Business Nightly, said starting in either October or November, PAL will offer non-stop flights to Europe.

"Our flights will be around 13 hours one-way, compared to Middle East airlines," he said.

Ang said the average length of a flight to Europe via the Middle East is currently around 18 to 24 hours per trip. "You still have to wait for several hours in their hubs."

He also said PAL's ticket prices will be "very competitive."

"For example, today, Manila to London on economy roundtrip is around $1,200. We should be at par with that," he said.

Ang said PAL has a number of flight entitlements to Europe.

"Seven times a week flights to London, seven times a week flights to Paris, other destinations," he said.

"We still have to wait for October, we have to make arrangements with all these airports for the slots," Ang explained. "When we start flying to London and all these other destinations, we want to make all these flights daily."

He said the resumption of PAL flights to Europe will improve the airline's profitability.

"It will right away improve. We have all these long-range aircraft, the 777s, the long-range Airbus. We'll improve profitability," he said"

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/07/10/13/pal-offer-faster-europe-flights

Well good luck to PAL, I hope they can pull it off. If they start services to Europe and with Common Carrier Tax now abolished, that may encourage the likes of BA (or Virgin) and Lufthansa to resume their services in competition and that can only be good news for travellers and the Philippine Tourism industry.

Mind you, I do wonder if this announcement would have been made had the ban on Cebu Pacific also been lifted. That airline has long standing plans of flying to Europe via the Gulf states and is about to take delivery of the first of its A330s ordered specifically for that route. I'd say its doubtful that two Philippine carriers would be given landing slots in London or Amsterdam, so PAL has potentially stolen a march on its major competitor.

Apparently Aquino is elated.

"Airline passengers going to and from European destinations will enjoy faster flights because of the the European Commission's (EC) decision to lift its ban on Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier's president and chief operating officer said Wednesday.

Ramon Ang, in an interview on ANC Business Nightly, said starting in either October or November, PAL will offer non-stop flights to Europe.

"Our flights will be around 13 hours one-way, compared to Middle East airlines," he said.

Ang said the average length of a flight to Europe via the Middle East is currently around 18 to 24 hours per trip. "You still have to wait for several hours in their hubs."

He also said PAL's ticket prices will be "very competitive."

"For example, today, Manila to London on economy roundtrip is around $1,200. We should be at par with that," he said.

Ang said PAL has a number of flight entitlements to Europe.

"Seven times a week flights to London, seven times a week flights to Paris, other destinations," he said.

"We still have to wait for October, we have to make arrangements with all these airports for the slots," Ang explained. "When we start flying to London and all these other destinations, we want to make all these flights daily."

He said the resumption of PAL flights to Europe will improve the airline's profitability.

"It will right away improve. We have all these long-range aircraft, the 777s, the long-range Airbus. We'll improve profitability," he said."

From ABS-CBN news:-

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/07/10/13/pal-offer-faster-europe-flights

The reason for wanting to make the services daily ones is simple - you need to position some key spares, most notably an engine, at the far end of the run - the way to amortise that capital outlay is to make the most "use" of the spare engine (which, with any luck, stays in its crate) by flying daily.

If PAL can bring their ecomomy round trip ticket price to US$1,200 they will do fine, I think. Not sure if the intention is nonstop or with a Gulf stopover.

PAL faces a number of key challenges if it is to commence services to the six European destinations it is talking about.

The first is quite simply that it currently doesn't have enough aircraft in its intercontinental fleet which, right now, consists of four A340-300s, three 777-300ERs and five 747-400s. Its 777s were bought to replace its ageing 747 inventory one of which is deployed domestically on twice daily rotations to Cebu and Davao. It will, therefore, need to lease aircraft at least in the short-term.

Then there's the regional shortage of trained cockpit crews and, as each of these flights are over twelve hours in duration, a total of four per plane would be required. It would be a bit easier to obtain Airbus crews than 777 due to the comparative popularity of Airbus with other regional carriers (it may also be more politically-correct to fly Airbus to Europe, incidentally).

It also needs to recruit a few hundred more cabin crew and many of them will need to be proficient in at least one major European language - or, alternatively, recruit within Europe but those flight attendants will be more expensive to employ.

And finally there's a shortage of stands at Manila's Terminal 2 (which PAL has exclusive use of) especially on the smaller international part, the domestic stands could not be used for wide-bodied aircraft as they were designed originally for 737s (which PAL used to operate domestically) and are fine for its A320/A319s. In theory, PAL could move to Terminal 3 - kicking-out Cebu Pacific, Zest et al who'd then take-over Terminal 2. Terminal 3 is underutilised but would require quite some investment, not least in air bridges, to be usable.

About six weeks ago, San Miguel did announce that it was looking to build a brand new airport for the exclusive use of its airline (PAL). Even if they find and acquire the hundred or so hectares required, it will take several years to build the airport itself - which San Miguel say will have two runways - as well as the supporting infrastucture which includes a high-speed rail link to NAIA and the new casino complex. To me, that sounds a bit 'pie in the sky' stuff.

"The Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, meanwhile, said that the "good news" announced by the EU will significantly boost tourism and bring 600,000 more visitors from Europe."

http://www.philstar.com/business/2013/07/11/964254/daily-pal-flights-paris-london-october

A highly optimistic overestimate but then it is made by a politician.

More British tourists expected to visit PH after EU ban lifted

"Flag carrier Philippine Airlines will start flying to Europe after the European Commission lifted the ban on PAL flights in EU skies.

For the London Tourism Office, it means a boost not only in the number of tourists visiting the Philippines.

"We will be having more tourists visiting the Philippines, more investors, and of course for OFWs, in France and here in London, it will be easier for them to travel. This afternoon lang, somebody already mentioned that some investors are already eyeing to go to the Philippines," said Tourism Attache Chit Afuang.

The biggest bulk of tourist from EU comes from the UK. Last year, more than 113,000 British tourists came to see various places in the Philippines.

With direct flights from London to Manila, the number is expected to rise.

"We are targeting 10 million in 2016 but we have to work hard to attain the target. The Philippine Airlines completes the infrastructure that we already have in the Philippines: the hotels, Solaire. For me, it completes the infrastructure that we have," Afuang added.

The travel industry in London welcomes the good news of PAL's return after an absence of 15 years. Many of their clients have already expressed interest in flying with the flag carrier.

"They are happy and they are really waiting for Philippine Airlines to fly again. With the number of Filipinos in the UK, ang key word dyan is patriotism," Celestial Travel's Fe Perfect said.

But Perfect said PAL has also a lot of work to do to regain its business in the UK and turn around its tainted image in the past.

"Nung una di maganda ang feedback sa PAL. PAL stands for Philippine Airline is always late , kasi nga palaging late. But I'm sure sa bagong administration ngayon, there will be changes," she said.

As the national flag carrier , it is also faced with the challenge of how it's going to promote best the Philippines at 35, 000 feet. "

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-f...ourists-expected-visit-ph-after-eu-ban-lifted

Frankly, PAL should buy A380s for its restored routes to Europe and to North America.

It won't get enough business class travellers to make a 777 pay, still less an A340 (lovely plane though that is) and PAL's best tactic is to go for a LOT of economy seats, and one flight a day on each route.

I believe you may be a tad incorrect in thinking that PAL would not attract enough Business Class passengers. I've made four and a half round-trips between the UK and the Philippines via Amsterdam with KLM and, on each occasion, the Business Class section has been full - all seats taken, almost exclusively by affluent Filipinos. My gut tells me that it will sell enough Business Class seats on its Amsterdam and Frankfurt routes but probably those to London and Madrid will be under-subscribed.

An A380, in Airbus livery, did visit Manila at the beginning of last year and had to park outside Micro Asia's hanger for the simple reason that none of the stands were capable of accommodating it!

Having an A380 would make some sense once the new mega Casino complex is completed in Manila, to bring in the Chinese for whom this complex is designed to attract. It is China and not Europe where any significant growth in tourism will originate. One has to remember that Air Asia ceased its daily direct service between the UK (Stanstead) and Kuala Lumpur due to lack of demand - and Malaysia has a lot more going for it as a tourist destination than the Philippines.

Good point!

I was thinking of SQ, which flies nonstop to Europe using 777s in an "all business" configuration.

The "volume business" in flights to/from the Philippines is always OCWs, who are cattle class by definition, but except for seamen they don't travel to/from Europe or the States. They travel within Asia and above all to the Middle East.

Think you are right about the tourism; was just wondering what happens if the fare is dropped as low as possible by filling a 380...

I am off to Manila tomorrow night, flying Qatar and I notice their London/Doha leg is carried out by a 380.

Philippine Airlines to Start Manila – London Heathrow Service from November 2013

"Philippine Airlines from 04NOV13 resumes service to Europe, as the airline operates Manila – London Heathrow service 5 times a week, on board Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Reservation for this route opened today."

http://airlineroute.net/2013/09/13/...rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pr-mnllhr-w13

Where did the 777-300ERs spring from?

Could this be a code share?

The A330-200 has the range, but the longer A330-300 does not - well - it "almost" does.

The 777ER can do it.

"A long-haul and wide-bodied unit of either Boeing or Airbus will be used in the November 4 Manila-London flights of legacy carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL).

Whether a US-made Boeing or Europe-made Airbus aircraft will be used for the route highlights how the rivalry between the two rival global manufacturers is present in Asian skies, including the Philippines. PAL was once a struggling local carrier but is now revived and aggressively expanding.

"We are utilizing either [Boeing] 777-300ERs and [Airbus] 340-300 for long haul," PAL president Ramon Ang replied when asked about on the carrier's choice aircraft for the route in a press conference on Tuesday, September 17.

"[For] long-haul [flights that involve] non-stop 13-hour [travel], you need to use 777 or 340's. Those are the only available airlines," he explained.

Boeing's 777 aircraft has a 370-seat capacity, while Airbus A340 has 264.

PAL's return to the United Kingdom after 15 years was marked by a "renewal of ties" ceremony with UK Trade Minister Lord Stephen Green of Hurstpierpoint in Makati City

Some parts of Airbus units are sourced from the UK.

"We've very happy that London is PAL's first Europe destination since flights to that continent were discontinued in 1998," said Ang during the press conference

PAL will fly 5x a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) departing Manila in the morning and arriving at Terminal 4 of London's Heathrow airport, the world's busiest.

"That we have been given permission to fly to Heathrow makes our return much more meaningful. We take this as a strong vow of confidence by UK authorities in PAL's ability to bring in the passenger traffic volume worthy of the world's top airlines," Ang added.

"I am confident that these flights will greatly enhance the relationship between the UK and the Philippines," Lord green said.

The direct Manila-London flights in November marks the first time the Philippines is returning to European skies.

The Philippines and the UK government has an existing bilateral air agreement for up to 7x a week flights."

http://www.rappler.com/business/ind...bus-or-boeing-for-pal-s-manila-london-flights