THE European Union has struck Philippine Airlines (PAL) off its latest update on the European safety list of banned airlines – carriers deemed non-compliant with EU air safety regulations.
This represents a partial lift of the EU ban on the Philippines since March 30, 2010. The statement said the ban remained for all other carriers in the Philippines.
Philippine president and CEO, Ramon S Ang, said: “Credit goes to the Philippine government for its effort and hard work in addressing this significant concern hounding our aviation industry for years.
“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.”
PAL has disclosed it will relaunch flights to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid.
Department of Tourism (DoT) secretary, Ramon R Jimenez, cited the event as an “excellent opportunity” for PAL to augment existing services provided by foreign carriers, noting the UK, Germany and France as “key European markets with stable influx to the country”.
As per DoT figures, a total of 213,598 European visitors came to the Philippines between January and May, an 8.5 per cent increase over the same period last year.
“As we work towards our goal of 10 million foreign tourists by 2016, we need our international air seats and connectivity greatly enhanced, in addition to our ongoing internal development work on infrastructure, destination and facilities,” the secretary added.
Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association, said: “The lifting of the EU ban is one of the most important developments in Philippine tourism today. With this, we will be able to sustain double-digit increases in arrivals, especially from Europe.
“This is in time for the winter season, from November to March, which is peak (season for the country’s longhaul markets).”
Cruz estimates about 400,000 visitors will arrive during this period, a development that will be facilitated by the upcoming implementation of longer-stay visas for foreigners.
John Paul Cabalza, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, said: “We are enthusiastic and bullish about the programmes launched by our travel consultants for Europe(ans), who can book resorts in time for the winter season. More packages will aggressively be built around Europe.”
