The narrow body jet revolution will gain a further foothold in Australia from July 2 when Philippine Airlines replaces a widebody A340 with a single-aisle A321neo on its non-stop Brisbane-Manila service.
The four times weekly A321neo service will the feature the first flat-bed business product on a narrowbody aircraft operated to Australia and will replace three flights a week operated by the bigger aircraft.
The move is part of a trend which is seeing the new breed of longer range, single-aisle planes replace bigger aircraft on routes of up to eight hours and part of an ongoing expansion by the Filipino carrier.
The new Phillippine Airlines (PAL) planes offer 12 flatbed business class seats and 156 economy seats with in-seat power, seat back screens and wi-fi access across all cabins.
Philippine Airlines president Jamie Bautista was optimistic business and tourism travel to the Philippines would be stimulated as the airline also expands nonstop services to Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.
These include a boost from three to five weekly Manila-Melbourne services from June 1 as rival Cebu Pacific expands its reach to the Victorian capital with three times weekly flights from August.
READ: Malaysia Airlines returns to Brisbane.
“Brisbane is an important part of our plan to introduce more Australians to the Philippines as a high-value holiday destination,” Bautista said, noting that airline was building up a fleet that was among Asia’s youngest.
Brisbane Airport chief executive Julieanne Alroe said the new aircraft would see a near doubling of seat capacity from about 38,000 to 70,000 seats per annum.
“With the Philippines one of the fastest growing economies and aviation markets in Asia, this new non-stop flight is sure to result in increased passenger numbers in both directions,’’ she said.
“Indeed, the investment and trust Philippine Airlines has made in making Brisbane its first ever A321neo destination demonstrates the confidence they have in the market potential.’’
PAL has some 21 aircraft arriving in 2018 and 2019 and plans to expand its hubs in Davao, Cebu and Clark.
It already offers an extensive Asia network, as well as flights to London Heathrow, the Middle East and several North American destinations including New York, Toronto and Los Angeles.
This year’s deliveries include six new A321neos from May, four A350-900s from June and five Bombardier Q400s.
A further six aircraft will arrive in 2019 as part of a fleet build-up that will continue until 2024.
The airline’s 2018 expansion includes non-stop flights between Manila and New York JFK from October 28.
Also on the cards in the last quarter of the year are non-stop flights New Delhi and Mumbai as well as Japanese city of Sapporo.
Routes on which PAL is boosting frequencies include Cebu-Siargao, Davao-Tagbilaran, Davao-Clark, and Cebu-Bangkok.
“We are no longer just a Manila-centric airline,” Bautista told a recent press briefing. “Our new aircraft and our new hubs are a winning combination that will help expand our market reach both domestically and worldwide.”
