PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) has tapped a unit of European aerospace company Airbus to handle the maintenance of its A350-900 aircraft.
In a statement, the company said Airbus Flight Hour Services (FHS) signed a FHS-Components Maintenance contract with PAL for its fleet of six A350-900s.
Under the deal, Airbus will provide component services, repair, warehousing and transportation for the flag carrier.
“It will allow for a proactive component engineering, with strong engineering focus that enables operators to predict in-service issues. This will lead to an improvement in operations by reducing delays and help to simplify troubleshooting,” it said.
PAL expects to receive the first of six A350-900s in July, as it is set to mount direct flights between Manila and New York via the polar route by October.
The flag carrier ordered the units in 2016 as part of its fleet expansion program. A350-900 is a jetliner by Airbus made for medium, long and ultra-long haul travels, with a capacity of 325 passengers.
In February, PAL said it is considering acquiring A350-1000, a 366-passenger aircraft from the same company. — Denise A. Valdez
