PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) has confirmed flights to more points in the Middle East as part of an expansion to 12 cities worldwide, including previously announced routes to Australia, China and Malaysia.
The new destinations include Kuala Lumpur on May 2, Darwin, Brisbane and Perth on June 1; Guangzhou on June 2; Abu Dhabi on October 1; Doha on November 1; Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia on December 1; Dubai on November 1; and Basco in the Philippines’ Batanes province on May 1 – with the latter two operated by PAL Express.
The route expansion of the Philippine flag carrier, particularly in the Middle East, will open strategic gateways and allow greater connectivity to more destinations in the region through PAL’s interline partners, said PAL president, Ramon S Ang.
“From UAE, for example, overseas Filipino workers can easily connect to other key cities or countries through PAL’s airline partners in the Gulf,” he stressed.
PAL’s aggressive expansion is also driven by the Philippines’ robust economy, recent credit rating upgrade, diverse tourist destinations and the country’s geographical advantage as a jump-off point to many Asian cities, according to Ang.
In November last year, PAL’s new management began the network expansion with the launch of direct flights from Manila to Toronto (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 24, 2012).
Including PAL Express, PAL currently serves 32 domestic and 28 international cities.
