Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL) on Friday said it is working with Airbus to modify 15 of its aircraft to accommodate more passengers.
“Philippine Airlines believes that, as we exit the pandemic, our fleet restructuring strategy helps us to better adapt to changing market situations and ensure that we are well-positioned for recovery,” PAL Chief Financial Officer Nilo Thaddeus P. Rodriguez said in a statement on Friday.
Under the cabin modification agreement, Airbus will add more seats to PAL’s 11 A320 aircraft, two A330-300s, and two A350-900s.
This means the A320 planes will have 24 extra seats, bringing the total seat count to 180. PAL said this configuration “suits the airline’s requirements for short-haul inter-island domestic routes.”
There will be 50 added seats for the A330s, which will bring the total seat count to 359.
The A350s will have 18 more seats for a total of 313 seats, “which still preserves the roomy cabin layout and passenger-friendly experience that PAL Business Class and Economy Class travellers enjoy on the A350’s long-haul routes.”
“Our aircraft deployment decisions and related technical support arrangements are tailored for a restructured network that suits a vastly different global environment,” Mr. Rodriguez said.
PAL is also extending its ‘Flight Hour Services’ material program with Airbus to cover more of its fleet.
“Airbus has its customers’ interests at heart and works closely with them to propose flexible material solutions that meet their needs. We are pleased that PAL recognizes the significant savings and operational performance which Airbus can bring with FHS, extending the current arrangement to their A330 and A321 Family fleets,” Anand Stanley, president of Airbus Asia-Pacific, said in a statement.
