Provided, of course, that PAL departs on time.

:lol: nice touch!

:lol: nice touch!
Is PAL really bad with delayed flight? Is it only from the westcoast flights as the 2 times I've tried PAL domestics, it was both on time and I love their service/food on board.

I think they are getting better. Cebu Pacific is always on time, so that might have pushed them.

I think they are getting better. Cebu Pacific is always on time, so that might have pushed them.
Indeed, being outdone on reliability by a rising airline that operates aircraft built 3-4 decades ago (disregarding the 757s and A32Xs ;) ) should be some sort of wakeup call for PAL. :nuts:

Maybe Cebu Pac can pick up the east coast route like back to Chicago, since they are in skyteam with NWA, i can still earn my Worldperks mile here. Maybe 5J can get those B777ER and maybe the the future 747 advanced or even the dream liner 7E7, they seems to be able to afford even 1 or 2 of it.

where did CEB have their DC-9´s checked, it´s not lufthansa technics ?

where did CEB have their DC-9´s checked, it´s not lufthansa technics ?

I think they have regular maintenence schedules in Singapore.

so it´s with singapore airlines maintenence. together with them CEB will open a new maintenence line in manila soon.

guys

I saw an old Grandair plane after landing at Chang Kai Shek Int'l last October 22. Dun kaya yung company ng nagpa-lease? La lang...

cheers

wow! I've always wondered what happened to GrandAir! Are there any plans of restarting the airline?

Airport's reclassification needed for PAL flights
By MIKE ORTEGA LIGALIG

Gov. Erico Aumentado has asked the Air Transportation Office (ATO) to reclassify the pavement rating of the city airport so as to satisfy the requirements of Airbus 320 planes.

The governor also asked the agency to construct a concrete fillet at runway 35 on the stretch fronting the terminal building.

The request came after the governor received a letter from the Philippine Airlines outlining the two flight requirements for its A320s.

“We trust that with the improvements in place, our mutual interest in the development of tourism to Bohol will continue to be served,” said Henry So Uy, PAL’s executive vice-president for its commercial group and executive assistant to Lucio Tan, chief executive officer of PAL, in the letter to the governor.

In lieu of Uy’s letter, Aumentado then wrote a separate letter to Gen. Nilo Jatico, ATO assistant secretary, relaying PAL’s concern.

Aumentado asked Jatico that ATO’s technical personnel should immediately work out on the airport’s reclassification into a 49 RBWU – a term used for pavement rating that meets the standards for A320 planes.

Last Sept 9-10, a group of runway experts from the ATO and PAL conducted a test on the bearing strength of the pavement of the city airport.

“They (the technical engineers) have found the pavement strength satisfactory and recommended that the runway be reclassified to 49 RBWU,” Uy wrote to Aumentado.

“We expect the ATO to formalize this reclassification (soon),” Uy added.

He said that while PAL’s flight operations department is constantly working with the ATO and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) in the improvements of airports in the country, Aumentado’s “continued call for the commitment of the ATO and the other concerned agencies will be crucial for the early implementation of the improvements needed for the airport infrastructure in Tagbilaran.”

Meantime, PAL has admitted that it is undergoing a narrow body refleeting program.

In this refleeting program, all PAL’s Boeing 737 units will be replaced by Airbus 320 and Airbus 319 plane units.

Uy reported that the last A320 in the refleeting program will be delivered to PAL in April 2008, “although the last B737s will be leaving the fleet in early 2007.

“We shall therefore have B737s available to service your community until that time,” Uy told the governor.

Without the reclassification and upgrading of the city airport, PAL may stop operations in Tagbilaran as its B737 will have to be phased out.

Once the reclassification and upgrading are completed, operations of A320 and A319 may continue in “sub-optimal payload and the use of lower tolerances,” but only for shorter term.

For longer term of operations, Uy suggested that “the dimensions of the runway and the state of the support installations in Tagbilaran (have) to be improved.”

Tiger Airways begins 'pan-regional' flight between Philippines and Macau

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore's Tiger Airways on Sunday began a "pan-regional" service between the Philippines and Macau, becoming the first Asian low-cost carrier to link the two destinations.

The airline said in a statement it would fly daily between Manila's Clark Field, a former U.S. air base located 80 kilometers north of the capital, and the Asian gambling hub of Macau.

"We will play our part to help Clark and (Macau's) Diosdado Macapagal International Airport achieve their goals of becoming a gateway for regular international flights and a buoyant economic zone," Tiger Airways chief executive officer Tony Davis said.

The carrier said in July it expected demand to come from the many Filipino workers based in Macau and nearby Hong Kong, as well as tourists.

One-way tickets between the two destinations from October 30 to March 25 next year are priced at 1,318 pesos or 188 patacas (US$24), excluding taxes and other charges, according to the Tiger Airways website.

Excluding the Macau-Manila service, the carrier now operates 10 routes from Singapore -- to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hatyai, Phuket and Krabi in Thailand, Macau, Manila, Padang in Indonesia and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Last month, the airline, which is 49-percent owned by Singapore Airlines, announced plans to expand its network to southern China, India and Cambodia and boost annual capacity to three million passengers by 2006.

^This is great. It just sucks that they have no direct flight to BAnckok fr Clark. You have to stopat Singapore first. Since many FIlipinos fly to Bangkok this is a good marketing ploy I guess.

I agree. Macau is being positioned as the las vegas of asia, clark had aspirations for this as well. The link up would be good as a very short flight and a cheap leg ala reno/tahoe versus vegas. This of course needs greater development in clark to accomodate such traffic.

Meantime, PAL has admitted that it is undergoing a narrow body refleeting program. In this refleeting program, all PAL’s Boeing 737 units will be replaced by Airbus 320 and Airbus 319 plane units. Uy reported that the last A320 in the refleeting program will be delivered to PAL in April 2008, “although the last B737s will be leaving the fleet in early 2007. “We shall therefore have B737s available to service your community until that time,” Uy told the governor.

so now we finally know what they are planning ! wonder if they all are new or just not so old planes.....

^wow that's really a gr8 news, probably they might have a capable of flying atlest all the way to europe

Q: What are the at least under construction airports in the Philippines today?

^wow that's really a gr8 news, probably they might have a capable of flying atlest all the way to europe

nope, these substitutes are just for domestic and regional flights.

but they do plan to accuire 6 new widebodies for their long haul flights up to 2009 ! and they probably all will be from airbus. they want to have a singular aircraft supplier. it makes sence, since it saves a lot of storage spare-part costs and is easier for attendands and pilots, cause they do not have to train on different systems like now with different boeing and airbus planes in their fleet.

Q: What are the at least under construction airports in the Philippines today?

all i now of are :

iloilo, NEW, 2007/8
bacolod/silay, NEW, 2007/8
cebu/mactan : new aero bridges for present terminal, taxiway overlays, landscaping of green between runway and taxiways, renovation of existent terminal, plus NEW terminal by 2007
puerto princessa: upgrading to intern. standards, finished?
tagbilaran: upgrading to airbus A 320´s 2006 and
panglao NEW intern. airport to substitute the old tagbilaran in 2008
cotabato new airport (forgot the name of it), has not started yet 2009 ?
el nido upgrading or new airport onway ?
DMIA, NEW terminal approx. 2008, new runway who knows when....

anyone who know any more details or updates is always welcome to post and to complement. thanks
philpal

how could i forget :
caticlan/boracy might get an international airport soon too.

a new tacloban (DZR) intrernational airport.... 2008( i think)

^This is great. It just sucks that they have no direct flight to BAnckok fr Clark. You have to stopat Singapore first. Since many FIlipinos fly to Bangkok this is a good marketing ploy I guess.

there used to be a glut of flights from BKK to Manila, with Lufthansa, Egypt Air, Air France, Thai, and PAL serving the route. That number dwindled quite a bit. I guess that the demand isn't there anymore.

how could i forget :
caticlan/boracy might get an international airport soon too.

Also, Laguindingan Internatinal Airport in Misamis Oriental.

Also, Laguindingan Internatinal Airport in Misamis Oriental.
that´s the one i was looking for when i said catabato, thanks jimbu

Pal still flies to BANGKOK it's not a s cheap as the budget airlines though.

^thats Y, my family usually uses Cebupacific when flying around pnas

a little off topic, i was checking new dehli's airport website and the home page has a PAL 744 on it. do they fly to DEL?! my guess is they dont, but can they just use a pic of the plane of their site like that?

check it out: http://www.delhiairport.com/

hmm...that is weird. PAL doesnt fly to New Delhi. Interesting and surprising that they would use a PAL 744 on their website.

^same problem as what your having w/your X

kaya nga eh... saw it too earlier.. 'twas odd... why pal? why not indian airlines or whatever their flag carrier is... tsk tsk :)

i dont think its the official airport website

a little off topic, i was checking new dehli's airport website and the home page has a PAL 744 on it. do they fly to DEL?! my guess is they dont, but can they just use a pic of the plane of their site like that?

check it out: http://www.delhiairport.com/

They did leave the word "Philippines" from the side of plane's livery, but there's no mistaking that that's a PAL plane. Maybe the website designers liked the angle of that shot and decided to use it. Should someone report this to PAL authorities and have them ask for royalties for using an image or likeness of PAL, maybe it can add to PAL's profit margin! :lol:

Isn't it that PAL is also planning to add Indian cities to its international network?

i don´t thin PAL will fly to india in the near future. possibly when they fly back to europe. there are notso many OFW´s there as in the middle east or europe. i suppose they are surveing the market very closely before they will fly there, especially since their fleet is limited and at the upper end of capacity.

i recall that air india was looking at cooperating with PAL to connect the 2 countries, possibly they will codeshare flying indian aircraft.

if they can get 6th or 7th freedom rights they may include delhi , maybe even bombay as stops to the ME. Good market but of course India may not agree. I find it absurd that we don't have direct air connections with the second largest country in the world , where we have historical ties and a very dynmanic one at that!

I'm sure Indian (bombay) pop. in PHils will increase if that happens. like in other SE asian countries.

More roti for us YUM :)

That also means the other way , we'll probably see alot of pinoys going there naman, I think there's good complimentation here!

The outsource guys will be happy as they ussually have facilities in both countries as no 1 and no2 choice.

yeah i'm sure Pinoys would also love to go to India. It's an interesting country.

if they can get 6th or 7th freedom rights they may include delhi , maybe even bombay as stops to the ME. Good market but of course India may not agree. I find it absurd that we don't have direct air connections with the second largest country in the world , where we have historical ties and a very dynmanic one at that!

bustero,
what historical ties does the philippines have with india ?

hmm...that is weird. PAL doesnt fly to New Delhi. Interesting and surprising that they would use a PAL 744 on their website.
I guess it's just a random thing, I mean Aeroflot had a pic of a 744 in their homepage even though they don't operate the type. :nuts:

A big chunk of Phil. Lang is Indo Based. I think many academics would argue there is actually a bigger indian influence over traditional culture over confucian influences. Aside from these traditional ties, there still is a fairly large influx of indians who come and live here to work, these are very much the stereotypical money lenders and traders, some of whom like the chinoys have been absorbed so much that they're much more pinoy than whatever.

Since wer're somewhat on the topic of India flights here...not to mention here's also another goodie :D:

PAL plans flights to LA, India
Clarissa S. Batino | Inquirer News Service | Nov. 02, 2005

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL), which has been reviving routes that are becoming viable again, plans to start service to Los Angeles in the United States from the central Philippines city of Cebu in the second half of 2006, PAL president Jaime Bautista said.

The Cebu-Los Angeles flights will likely be thrice a week, he said.

PAL will also fly to India again starting next year, after abandoning the route for more than half a century, Bautista said.

On November 11, PAL will launch four-times-a-week flights to Beijing, 16 years after it stopped serving the Chinese capital.

PAL stopped flying to India in 1954 after then-president Ramon Magsaysay issued a policy to stop foreign flights in favor of a rural development program.

Frequency of the flights to India is still under study, Bautista said, noting improving traffic to the densely populated East Asian country.

A recently updated Philippine-India aviation deal, the first after 56 years, gave the Philippines and India rights to daily flights in any of four major cities plus a right to drop and pick up passengers to and from a middle ground.

On the Cebu-Los Angeles flights, PAL is planning to stop, unload and pick up passengers in Seoul, South Korea.

On the Manila-India flight, the plan is to stop in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The flight to India may take off by the middle of 2006 while the Cebu-LA would be around the third quarter," Bautista said.

He said the US remained as the most profitable among PAL's overseas destinations, while Hong Kong had the most volume.

New routes and expansion of existing ones are also being considered, the PAL president said. With INQ7.net

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

That's very good news! PAL is slowly expanding its network and I'm glad for Cebu since it now has connections to North America! :okay:

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

cool! i suppose that means that perhaps PAL will be adding some widebodies to their fleet next year too.

^^how can they even fly to LA? they lack airplanes... you're right ramvingar... they should add more widebodies to their fleet... but i guess pal can handle it... pinoy tao eh! kaya nyan nila ma solusyonan!

That's practically the only way they can do this route as the fleet is already stretched to it's limit (unless they plan to axe a route which doesn't seem likely)

A week later...."PAL acquires 4 new B777s to operate in new routes"

I wish...:D

A week later...."PAL acquires 4 new B777s to operate in new routes"

I wish...:D

there's nothing wrong with dreaming I guess :D

there's nothing wrong with dreaming I guess :D
Indeed. :cheers1:

so thats another milestone in PAL´s´route network. what about cebu-guangzhou (correct spelling?) flights. they planned to pick up end of this year too ?

CEB-CAN? That's new news to me..:eek:

i heard it on a press release somewhere on the cebu thread pointing out all the new flights comming into cebu this year. is CAN the code for guangzhou ?

Indeed it is; CAN=Canton, the old name of Guangzhou.

Indeed it is; CAN=Canton, the old name of Guangzhou.

its not exactly an old name, Canton is just another way of pronouncing Guangzhou :)

pal's going to receive 4 new 744's right... i heard thier the last in boeing's list to receive 744's... is this true? is pal going to acquire new 744's?

the problem with this airline is : noone ever really knows whats going to happen next. extremly unprofessional ! i hope they don´t´fly their birds that way .......

its not exactly an old name, Canton is just another way of pronouncing Guangzhou :)
Eh? I thought they got rid of that quite a while ago. I guess you learn something new everyday. ^_^;;

pal's going to receive 4 new 744's right... i heard thier the last in boeing's list to receive 744's... is this true? is pal going to acquire new 744's?
They paid a deposit for 4 744s before on the pre-shutdown days in which PAL may not exercise to continue now. The 4 744s ordered by PAL built, though they are now w/ different airlines as PAL didn't accept, though the original N754PR (the current one w/ PTVs in all classes was supposed to be designated N759PR if the other 4 were to be delivered) has found it's way back home with PAL after serving Canadian Airlines and Air Canada and is designated RP-C8168, the fifth 744 in the fleet and the only one out of her sisters w/ a Philippine registration. The deposit is still there and it depends if PAL wants to exercise that or just reallocate the funds deposited to ordering another Boeing aircraft.

One thing interesting though is that in 1996, PAL ordered 8 744s (on top of the current 3 it had in the fleet). :eek: Out of the 8 ordered, 1 made it to PAL's fleet as N754PR (the combi that was ordered as seen in the second article) Those were the days though...when PAL would order during the Farnborough or Paris airshows...maybe we could see them doing it again in Farnborough 2006 w/ the new widebody order? One can dream...:D

Philippine Airlines Orders Seven Boeing 747-400s
Link to the article (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960904b.html)

Farnborough, England, September 4, 1996 - Philippine Airlines announced today that it has ordered seven Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets valued at approximately $1.18 billion.

The new 747s will be delivered beginning in mid-1998. They will be powered by General Electric CF6-80C2B1F engines.

Vice Chairman Mariano Tanenglian of PAL said "We believe our 747 fleet helps give us a competitive edge in passenger service, and, as you know, we operate in one of the world's most competitive markets.

"We look forward to significant growth over the next few years, and these new 747-400's will help us accommodate that growth," he added.

Boeing Commercial Airplane Group President Ron Woodard said "Orders from respected carriers like Philippine Airlines reinforce the 747's place as the flagship of the world's airlines. We're pleased to help PAL meet its future goals."

The first scheduled airline in Asia, PAL's current fleet includes 12 Boeing 747s and 12 Boeing 737s.

Philippine Airlines Orders One Boeing 747-400 Combi
Link to the article (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960118-a.html)

SEATTLE, Jan. 18, 1996 -- Philippine Airlines (PAL) ordered one 747-400 Combi, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group announced today.

With an announced value of approximately $170 million, depending on features selected, the 747-400 Combi typically transports six to seven pallets of cargo on the main deck and can transport more than 266 passengers in a three-class arrangement.

PAL, the oldest airline in Asia to offer scheduled service, purchased the aircraft as part of its recently announced re-fleeting plan. The airline has selected the General Electric CF6-80C2 engines to power its 747-400 Combi.

Commenting on the order announcement, PAL Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer Jaime Bautista said: "Today's order is the next step in PAL's plan to modernize its fleet. The 747-400s we now operate are performing extremely well for us. We look forward to the addition of further 747-400s as soon as possible since they will be the flagships of the new Philippine Airlines."

BCAG Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales Larry Dickenson said: "PAL is a valued, long-time customer of Boeing and we believe the order represents PAL's confidence in Boeing and the value we build into our entire product line. The 747-400 is ideally suited for the high traffic growth in the Asia Pacific market."

The Manila-based carrier will operate the 747-400 Combi, initially in an all-passenger configuration, on its Manila- San Francisco route, joining three other passenger versions of the 747-400 in the airline's trans-Pacific flights. The airline operates a total of 24 Boeing aircraft including 12 737-300s, three 747-400s, and nine 747-200s.

To date, Boeing has received orders for 481 model 747-400s of which 347 have been delivered. Strong demand for the 747-400s has resulted in BCAG's recent announcement to increase the production rate from two to three and one- half aircraft per month, beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.

its not exactly an old name, Canton is just another way of pronouncing Guangzhou :)
Eh? I thought they got rid of that quite a while ago. <<;;

pal's going to receive 4 new 744's right... i heard thier the last in boeing's list to receive 744's... is this true? is pal going to acquire new 744's?
They paid a deposit for 4 744s before on the pre-shutdown days in which PAL may not exercise to continue now. The 4 744s ordered by PAL built, though they are now w/ different airlines as PAL didn't accept, though the original N754PR (the current one w/ PTVs in all classes was supposed to be designated N759PR if the other 4 were to be delivered) has found it's way back home with PAL after serving Canadian Airlines and Air Canada and is designated RP-C8168, the fifth 744 in the fleet and the only one out of her sisters w/ a Philippine registration. The deposit is still there and it depends if PAL wants to exercise that or just reallocate the funds deposited to ordering another Boeing aircraft.

One thing interesting though is that in 1996, PAL ordered 8 744s (on top of the current 3 it had in the fleet). :eek: Out of the 8 ordered, 1 made it to PAL's fleet as N754PR (the combi that was ordered as seen in the second article) Those were the days though...when PAL would order during the Farnborough or Paris airshows...maybe we could see them doing it again in Farnborough 2006 w/ the new widebody order? One can dream...:D

Philippine Airlines Orders Seven Boeing 747-400s
Link to the article (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960904b.html)

Farnborough, England, September 4, 1996 - Philippine Airlines announced today that it has ordered seven Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets valued at approximately $1.18 billion.

The new 747s will be delivered beginning in mid-1998. They will be powered by General Electric CF6-80C2B1F engines.

Vice Chairman Mariano Tanenglian of PAL said "We believe our 747 fleet helps give us a competitive edge in passenger service, and, as you know, we operate in one of the world's most competitive markets.

"We look forward to significant growth over the next few years, and these new 747-400's will help us accommodate that growth," he added.

Boeing Commercial Airplane Group President Ron Woodard said "Orders from respected carriers like Philippine Airlines reinforce the 747's place as the flagship of the world's airlines. We're pleased to help PAL meet its future goals."

The first scheduled airline in Asia, PAL's current fleet includes 12 Boeing 747s and 12 Boeing 737s.
Link to the article (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1996/news.release.960118-a.html)

Philippine Airlines Orders One Boeing 747-400 Combi

SEATTLE, Jan. 18, 1996 -- Philippine Airlines (PAL) ordered one 747-400 Combi, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group announced today.

With an announced value of approximately $170 million, depending on features selected, the 747-400 Combi typically transports six to seven pallets of cargo on the main deck and can transport more than 266 passengers in a three-class arrangement.

PAL, the oldest airline in Asia to offer scheduled service, purchased the aircraft as part of its recently announced re-fleeting plan. The airline has selected the General Electric CF6-80C2 engines to power its 747-400 Combi.

Commenting on the order announcement, PAL Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer Jaime Bautista said: "Today's order is the next step in PAL's plan to modernize its fleet. The 747-400s we now operate are performing extremely well for us. We look forward to the addition of further 747-400s as soon as possible since they will be the flagships of the new Philippine Airlines."

BCAG Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales Larry Dickenson said: "PAL is a valued, long-time customer of Boeing and we believe the order represents PAL's confidence in Boeing and the value we build into our entire product line. The 747-400 is ideally suited for the high traffic growth in the Asia Pacific market."

The Manila-based carrier will operate the 747-400 Combi, initially in an all-passenger configuration, on its Manila- San Francisco route, joining three other passenger versions of the 747-400 in the airline's trans-Pacific flights. The airline operates a total of 24 Boeing aircraft including 12 737-300s, three 747-400s, and nine 747-200s.

To date, Boeing has received orders for 481 model 747-400s of which 347 have been delivered. Strong demand for the 747-400s has resulted in BCAG's recent announcement to increase the production rate from two to three and one- half aircraft per month, beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.

so... no one really knows if the 4 remaining 744's will be acquired by pal right? sayang... what happened to their 747-200's... the just disposed it? was it too old to be disposed?


>sori ha if masaydo akong matanong... hehehe :)

won't a 744 be too big for a Cebu-LA route? are there that many passengers? well then again, people from all over the Visayas and maybe even Mindanao will prefer to go to Cebu instead of Manila to take a flight to the US. but i still have a feeling that they will be using a plane with a smaller capacity (at least in the beginning). perhaps an A340?

A week later...."PAL acquires 4 new B777s to operate in new routes"

I wish...:D

I hope that you are having another psychic moment! :)

I don't know where I posted this before, but my nephew who flies with PR said they were training a lot of 744 pilots for 2 new jumbo's coming in.

That's all he said, I think they're on lease , i doubt they could buy some.

I'll ask him for sure next time in the meantime to be taken with a ton of salt.

2 or 3 or 4 747´s or maybe none at all, what´s all this guessing about ? can´t philippine airlines, the national carrier of the repubic of the philippines, JUST PLAY IT SERIOUS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUS and inform the pubic properly ? what kind of a game is this, not very trusty seems like to me. what do they have a website for anyway....all they post in their NEWS department there is another golf tournament they sponsored...some airline, indeed......then i rather keep my eyes on cebu pacific, they are to be taken seriously ! and they will just kick-off PAL from the globe in no time, at the pace they are moving right now.

won't a 744 be too big for a Cebu-LA route? are there that many passengers? well then again, people from all over the Visayas and maybe even Mindanao will prefer to go to Cebu instead of Manila to take a flight to the US. but i still have a feeling that they will be using a plane with a smaller capacity (at least in the beginning). perhaps an A340?
Well if the 744 is too big, it can always just free up an A340 from another route.

Well hopefully this rumor of 2 744s is true...I'd love to see 7 747s in the fleet. :D

yah... and i hope that those 2 new 744's has ptv's... para naman meron tayong ipapakita sa mga turista... anyways, so, wala na ung 4 na 744's na galing sa boeing? hindi na nila kukunin yun? mas maganda sana pag 11 na 744's... hehehe :)

Well we can hope that, if PAL does get these 744s second-hand, that they are PTV equipped (like N754PR, the ex. Kuwait Airways a/c). I wouldn't hold my breath on PAL committing to introduce a new interior product yet...though it they do, I'd call it an early Christmas present. :D

2 or 3 or 4 747´s or maybe none at all, what´s all this guessing about ? can´t philippine airlines, the national carrier of the repubic of the philippines, JUST PLAY IT SERIOUS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUS and inform the pubic properly ? what kind of a game is this, not very trusty seems like to me. what do they have a website for anyway....all they post in their NEWS department there is another golf tournament they sponsored...some airline, indeed......then i rather keep my eyes on cebu pacific, they are to be taken seriously ! and they will just kick-off PAL from the globe in no time, at the pace they are moving right now.

PAL reports on its website what it is sure of. Its progress is well-documented. Look at their news archive, and you will see the many routes they managed to restart within a span of a few years. Remember that they emerged from bankruptcy with a brand-new airbus fleet. Their acquisitions have been slow but steady, as it is difficult to get good terms when you are bankrupt. I would take them seriously. They have steady transpacific routes. They opened services to Las Vegas when Singapore Airlines failed that route. They have a huge presence in Japan. Every single PAL plane is utilized to the max. And they still managed to twist their resources to send the President to Rome for the Pope's funeral on a charter flight.

The newspapers report what is on the drawing board, but when PAL is sure about opening a new route or acquiring new planes, the media brouhaha is amazing. You should have seen the full-page ads when PAL started its Nagoya service. And you should also have seen the 63rd anniversary bash, with the opening of the Las Vegas route. Media personalities were invited to fly, and there was a huge party in Vegas when they arrived.

Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, is also a truly remarkable airline that is very efficient. But they have their own problems. PAL protects its routes very well. 5J has had some difficulty penetrating South Korea, and their Hong Kong route is reputedly losing money. Their service to Singapore was a disaster, and cancelled within a few months. One thing you should take note of is that PAL has never cancelled a new route in such a manner with their current management. They do their research well.

I like Cebu Pacific, but they have a lot of work ahead of them.

PAL reports on its website what it is sure of. Its progress is well-documented. Look at their news archive, and you will see the many routes they managed to restart within a span of a few years. Remember that they emerged from bankruptcy with a brand-new airbus fleet. Their acquisitions have been slow but steady, as it is difficult to get good terms when you are bankrupt. I would take them seriously. They have steady transpacific routes. They opened services to Las Vegas when Singapore Airlines failed that route. They have a huge presence in Japan. Every single PAL plane is utilized to the max. And they still managed to twist their resources to send the President to Rome for the Pope's funeral on a charter flight.

The newspapers report what is on the drawing board, but when PAL is sure about opening a new route or acquiring new planes, the media brouhaha is amazing. You should have seen the full-page ads when PAL started its Nagoya service. And you should also have seen the 63rd anniversary bash, with the opening of the Las Vegas route. Media personalities were invited to fly, and there was a huge party in Vegas when they arrived.

Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, is also a truly remarkable airline that is very efficient. But they have their own problems. PAL protects its routes very well. 5J has had some difficulty penetrating South Korea, and their Hong Kong route is reputedly losing money. Their service to Singapore was a disaster, and cancelled within a few months. One thing you should take note of is that PAL has never cancelled a new route in such a manner with their current management. They do their research well.

I like Cebu Pacific, but they have a lot of work ahead of them.

you´re right solblanc, i know of these procedures, at least of some of them. sometimes i´m just frustrated with not having the possibility of finding any news on the net(google or so). but there we have the forumers comming in with all the lacking news ! thank you for your comments, it is always interesting to hear about the progress in philippine civilian avaition.
salamat po !
and please keep us informed too....
:-)

you´re right solblanc, i know of these procedures, at least of some of them. sometimes i´m just frustrated with not having the possibility of finding any news on the net(google or so). but there we have the forumers comming in with all the lacking news ! thank you for your comments, it is always interesting to hear about the progress in philippine civilian avaition.
salamat po !
and please keep us informed too....
:-)

Believe me, I'm soooooooo frustrated, too *cough*Naia3*cough* :D

Believe me, I'm soooooooo frustrated, too *cough*Naia3*cough* :D
Aren't we all? :wallbash:

PAL to purchase nine new Airbus 320s over next three years

MANILA (AP) - Philippine Airlines said Tuesday it will purchase nine new Airbus 320 jets over the next three years to ensure its dominance in the country's airline industry.

President Jaime Bautista told reporters the company plans to borrow from export credit agencies to fund the purchases.

The new aircraft will service domestic and regional routes, Bautista said.

PAL currently has a fleet of 31 aircraft with an average age of nine years, including Boeing 747-400s, 737-400s and 737-300s, as well as Airbus A340-300s, A330-300s and A320-200s.

^^ Continuation of the same article....

....Bautista also said PAL will start its Manila-Beijing flights Friday as part of an effort to get a bigger share of the growing tourist market in China. The airline currently flies to Xiamen and Shanghai.

He said the airline also plans to increase flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Bautista spoke to reporters after updating the Securities and Exchange Commission on the progress of airline's rehabilitation plan that started in 1999.

He reported that from the start of the restructuring through to March this year, PAL has paid its creditors around US$1.43 billion (euro1.22 billion), cutting its debt to US$1 billion (euro852 million).

Should have known, you guys are so fast. I was about to post it and should have just reaad it here. Good news our flag carrier is on it's way to rehab.

1b$ That's actually quite small na lang for a big airline. With planes costing a hundred million or more for big ones.

yeah but they dont buy these planes in cash, i mean the dont have that much liquid cash to buy these planes, the fact that they have paid off its creditors more that 50% of its dents and their plan to finance the acquisitions from lending institutions is a sure sign that pal is on the way out of rehab and and sustain profitability

they said bohol very lovely place and their beaches are really nice, it would great if they can have a world class international airport that will surely spur more tourism activities in the island and will be benefit the province

PAL to purchase nine new Airbus 320s over next three years

MANILA (AP) - Philippine Airlines said Tuesday it will purchase nine new Airbus 320 jets over the next three years to ensure its dominance in the country's airline industry.

President Jaime Bautista told reporters the company plans to borrow from export credit agencies to fund the purchases.

The new aircraft will service domestic and regional routes, Bautista said.

PAL currently has a fleet of 31 aircraft with an average age of nine years, including Boeing 747-400s, 737-400s and 737-300s, as well as Airbus A340-300s, A330-300s and A320-200s.

here we go again. the other day it was 320´s AND 319´s. now it´s only 320´s. all together they were supposed to be 13 domestic&regional operating aircraft to be replaced. now it´s 9. taking under consideration that 3 were already delivered in summer (see PAL website), and 3 more will be delivered until the end of the year (last update on this airline thread) that leaves another 5 left to be delivered within the next 3 years or what ? so how many of what model will they be purchasing within the next 3 years ?

then there are 6 more wide bodies to come in until 2009. will they replace 747´s or will they addionally be aquired ? then there are talks about extra pilots being trained for 747´s and talks that 2, 3 or 4 addional 747´s will be aquired. is there anyone who can DEFINATELY quote how many and what models of planes PAL will be receiving and replacing ????????? i just do not know anymore. too many different infos......would be appropriate to have some really reliable information.

me too im also confused abt the nr of a-320 and a-319 that pal currently is operating and planning to acquire, is this 09 brand new a320 on top of wht is already been planned to lease or purchased a-320 and a-319???? i hope somebody familiar with pal can give some better information

pal has three exisitng a-3230s (not leased) but acquired from airbus itself right???
previous stories on this thread says that pal's plan is to lease three more a-320s ( to make its a total of 06-a320s in its fleet to be delivered within this year and two a-319 leased aircrafts to be delivered next year to make it a total of 06-320s and 02-319s, so have they abandoned the leasing option and instead plans to buy from airbus direclty brand news a-320s????? wht abt their wide body acquisitions???? if they plan to increase their flights to the usa, i hope pal could announced a definite order of 09 a-320s and 06-a-340s next year

thanks skylinepigeon, someone who has similar questions......isn´t bautista´s son in this forum ? (if he has one), that could solve some of our problems !

ur welcome btw so three existing acquired a-320 + 09 proposed purchase new a320s will have pal a total of 12 single aisle aircrafts for domestic and regional routes, i think that will be good enough to replace all their 737s

A direct purchase? Hmm... that's strange. Technically, nothing has been signed with airbus yet. The A319 could be part of this purchase, since they are part of the A320 family.

Another thing to consider is that the 737's leases are expiring in the near future. The leases could just be a stopgap measure until the purchased planes arrive. Or, PAL could be leasing AND purchasing the new aircraft in a drive to expand regionally.

its already mentioned that they plan to purchase the new aircrafts to ensure dominance in the airlines industry and with those stories that came out abt replacing their ageing 737s and expanding operations, this will be logical move for pal if it wants to retain its hold in the phil aviation industry, imagine pal the national flag carrier still using old 737s for their domestic routes while a competitor cebu pacific is using more modern and efficient aircrafts

from the seoul times :

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano is targeting about half a million of them to visit the Philippines in 2005. In the meantime, Singapore's Tiger Airways has signified interest to fly between Cebu and Singapore, and Malaysia's AirAsia is interested in Cebu-Kuala Lumpur and Cebu-Kota Kinabalu. Other budget carriers such as Taiwan's Mandarin Airlines and China's Far Eastern Transport started Cebu services in April.
Mandarin Airlines flies from Taipei to Cebu three times a week. Other carriers flying overseas from Cebu are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Air Pacific, Qatar Airlines, Malaysian Air and Silk Air, according to Maricon Ebron, head of DOT's Team Korea.
The increasing activity at the Cebu airport prompted the transportation department to propose building a new terminal. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry said passengers using the Cebu airport would reach five million over five years.
Ms.Ebron said that for the meantime the government was looking at a P500-million expansion of the present terminal. The Cebu airport has one terminal building that serves both domestic and international flights.

Great, more airlines to spot when in Mactan. :D

Here's the complete article posted earlier by 'Skylinepigeon' and Kimber. Says here that PAL is also considering Seattle, Europe and India as additional destinations. Hmmm... together with the planned Cebu-LA route, I really think that PAL will be announcing some widebody purchases/leases soon.

PAL to purchase 9 new Airbus A320s
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
The Philippine Star 11/09/2005

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will purchase nine new Airbus 320s over the next three years as part of a refleeting program aimed at further cementing its dominant foothold in the industry.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said funding for the acquisition of the new aircraft will come from new loans from various export credit agencies. He, however, declined to reveal the amount to be borrowed from these entities.

PAL currently has an operating fleet of 31 aircraft consisting of B747-400s, A340-300s, A330-300s, A320-200s, B737-400s and B737-300s with average aircraft age of 9.01 years.

Bautista said the new aircraft will serve regional and domestic routes.

He said the company has been up-to-date in the payment of its obligations to creditors. From $2 billion in 1999, PAL’s debt is now down to just $1 billion.

Last year, PAL made payments for principal and interest to its creditors in accordance with the terms embodied in the amended and restated rehabilitation plan. From March 1999 to March 2005, PAL paid a total of $1.43 billion to its creditors.

Bautista said the airlines might report lower earnings in the second quarter of its fiscal year ending March 2006 as this is considered a traditionally lean season.

He also expressed concern over surging oil prices in the world markets and the avian flu that might reach the country through migratory birds, saying this could adversely affect PAL’s operations. "The bird flu could reduce our ability to post a higher income," Bautista said.

Bird flu remains a national concern for the government because of the country’s proximity to Indonesia and Thailand where a number of bird flu cases was recorded.

PAL will start flying direct to Bejing on Nov. 11 as part of its plan to boost revenues and take advantage of the growing tourism in China.

In China, PAL already flies to Xiamen and Shanghai. China has consistently been one of PAL’s brightest growth areas in terms of sales.

PAL is also planning to increase flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is also studying the possibility of flying to Seattle.

The company was earlier considering resuming flights to India and European countries to take advantage of the booming information technology industry in India. Indian call centers currently employ 160,000 professionals, who answer calls from the United States-based customers referred to as an information technology-enabled services and business processing outsourcing (BPO) which accounts for a quarter of all software and service exports from India.

On the homefront, Bautista said PAL is looking at additional frequency domestic destinations in Cebu, Davao and other major cities with significant market demand.

From its hub in Manila, PAL serves 43 destinations – 18 domestic and 25 international points.

Amid the escalating prices of crude oil, Bautista said he is hoping that PAL could retain the same profit level as last year. The national flag carrier posted a net income of P1.2 billion for the fiscal year 2004 to 2005 compared with a restated net loss of P643 million the previous level. For the first quarter of its fiscal year ending March 2006, PAL reported a net income of $27.5 million (roughly P1.5 billion), already exceeding its net income during the last fiscal year.

^^^wow thats really good news... hehehe... im really looking forward for their wodebodies.... hehehe... but if they're planning to fly to seattle and increase their flights to LA and SFO and LA from Cebu, what aircrafts are they gonna use? anyways im sure they're gonna find a way...

^^ me too! they will probably order a mix of 744's for the high volume routes and A340's for the low volume ones like Europe and perhaps the Cebu-LA leg.

^^ Yes, good news indeed!:okay: for the record, i think 5J's refleeting program had something to do with PAL's new and quite bullish programs of refleeting themselves. I look forward to their purchase or lease of new widebody aircraft to meet the demands of new and existing routes.:)

Here's the complete article posted earlier by 'Skylinepigeon' and Kimber. Says here that PAL is also considering Seattle, Europe and India as additional destinations. Hmmm... together with the planned Cebu-LA route, I really think that PAL will be announcing some widebody purchases/leases soon.

PAL to purchase 9 new Airbus A320s
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
The Philippine Star 11/09/2005

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will purchase nine new Airbus 320s over the next three years as part of a refleeting program aimed at further cementing its dominant foothold in the industry.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said funding for the acquisition of the new aircraft will come from new loans from various export credit agencies. He, however, declined to reveal the amount to be borrowed from these entities.

PAL currently has an operating fleet of 31 aircraft consisting of B747-400s, A340-300s, A330-300s, A320-200s, B737-400s and B737-300s with average aircraft age of 9.01 years.

Bautista said the new aircraft will serve regional and domestic routes.

He said the company has been up-to-date in the payment of its obligations to creditors. From $2 billion in 1999, PAL’s debt is now down to just $1 billion.

Last year, PAL made payments for principal and interest to its creditors in accordance with the terms embodied in the amended and restated rehabilitation plan. From March 1999 to March 2005, PAL paid a total of $1.43 billion to its creditors.

Bautista said the airlines might report lower earnings in the second quarter of its fiscal year ending March 2006 as this is considered a traditionally lean season.

He also expressed concern over surging oil prices in the world markets and the avian flu that might reach the country through migratory birds, saying this could adversely affect PAL’s operations. "The bird flu could reduce our ability to post a higher income," Bautista said.

Bird flu remains a national concern for the government because of the country’s proximity to Indonesia and Thailand where a number of bird flu cases was recorded.

PAL will start flying direct to Bejing on Nov. 11 as part of its plan to boost revenues and take advantage of the growing tourism in China.

In China, PAL already flies to Xiamen and Shanghai. China has consistently been one of PAL’s brightest growth areas in terms of sales.

PAL is also planning to increase flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is also studying the possibility of flying to Seattle.

The company was earlier considering resuming flights to India and European countries to take advantage of the booming information technology industry in India. Indian call centers currently employ 160,000 professionals, who answer calls from the United States-based customers referred to as an information technology-enabled services and business processing outsourcing (BPO) which accounts for a quarter of all software and service exports from India.

On the homefront, Bautista said PAL is looking at additional frequency domestic destinations in Cebu, Davao and other major cities with significant market demand.

From its hub in Manila, PAL serves 43 destinations – 18 domestic and 25 international points.

Amid the escalating prices of crude oil, Bautista said he is hoping that PAL could retain the same profit level as last year. The national flag carrier posted a net income of P1.2 billion for the fiscal year 2004 to 2005 compared with a restated net loss of P643 million the previous level. For the first quarter of its fiscal year ending March 2006, PAL reported a net income of $27.5 million (roughly P1.5 billion), already exceeding its net income during the last fiscal year.


thanks ramvingar for clearing some misunderstandings there. great !

now what about the news of PAL purchasing another 2 319s and 6 widebodies ? has anyone found clearing information on these hypothesis ?

would be great if someone could keep us updated on the renovations and new terminal building (renderings?) at MCIA.......

taken from todays´www..mb.com.ph :

........According to Dimaampao, statistics would show that most international in-bound tourists to Mindanao are actually from the other three countries of the EAGA region. She added, "The movement of tourists within the growth area is overwhelming. This is the same reason why we give much emphasis to improving the present ‘connectivity’ of destinations within the region." To assure the smooth movement of tourists within the area, EAGA’s recent undertakings involve increasing the flight frequencies to and from the different destinations within the region. Currently, South Phoenix caters to passengers flying the Zamboanga-Sandakan route and vice versa. By sea, M.V. Wissam Express and Alesson navigate the same route. Merpati carrier, on the other hand, services the Davao-Sandakan-Davao route. In recent developments, the Joint Tourism Development (JTB) cluster has submitted to the Senior Officials Minister Meeting (SOMM) the proposal to beef-up flights servicing routes from and to Davao-Kota Kinabalu, General Santos-Manado, Indonesia and Palawan-Kota Kinabalu.

thanks ramvingar for clearing some misunderstandings there. great !

now what about the news of PAL purchasing another 2 319s and 6 widebodies ? has anyone found clearing information on these hypothesis ?

you're very welcome! :)

about the A319's and 6 widebodies, I suppose that those are still in the works and definitely not out of the picture. It's just that PAL is still under receivership and has to get the nod of their creditors for their every move. They have reason to be cautious. After all, they sorta fell flat on their face the last time they announced a big re-fleeting plan. They will make a final announcement once they get the approval. I'm pretty sure that that announcement will come before the year ends or perhaps early next year.

but for me, the best part of the article is about PAL being profitable again and that it is able to pay off it's debts. that's the important thing right now. That will definitely pave the way for moe robust growth and expansion.

i think pal will go for an all airbus refleeting programme coz it will cheaper to buy all planes with one mfr other than having two sets of aricrafts from two manufacturers, i beleive that by buying an all airbus plane, pal can get perhaps more discount, and its will save them maintenance cost etc. someday pal will have to retire its 747s and the new generation a-340s will be nice replacement for them, though i i still beleive that the b-777 is more competitive replacement for their 747-400s

^^ well, it would be great to see a B777 in PAL colorscheme.

the dubai airshow is opening more than a week from now, its the biggest middle east aviation exhibition, i dont know if pal or cebu pacific are attending, its basically for arab customers in the region, but it will be quite a surprise if they use the occassion to announce a fleet order

I wish that PAL will also look into servicing the US Midwest and East Coast population centers, I'm sure they'll look in that once they are in good economic standing again. But for now I'll go on dreaming and wishing....

WELL HERES ANOTHER MORE DEFINITIVE NEWS ABT PAL REFLEETING, WHEN THEY SAID COMPREHENSIVE REFLEETING DOES IT MEAN THEYRE BUYING BOTH SHORT AND LONG HAUL AIRCRAFTS, IM KEEPING MY FINGERS XXX,

PAL set to launch re-fleeting program in 2006

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will acquire new Airbus planes as it prepares to launch a "comprehensive" re-fleeting program next year, a company spokesperson said.

"We will be signing an agreement with Airbus very soon. It could be before the year ends. We're in the final stages of drawing up the contract," the spokesperson told XFN-Asia.

"Our comprehensive re-fleeting program will start in late 2006."
He declined to give further details of the contract with Airbus or PAL's re-fleeting program.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista was quoted in newspaper reports here as saying that the airline would be acquiring nine new Airbus 320 jets over the next three years.

He reportedly said the aim was to modernize PAL's fleet as the Philippine flag carrier defends its market share amid tighter competition.

"We will be flying newer airplanes, which will be acquired under an operating lease agreement," Bautista was quoted as saying by the BusinessWorld newspaper.

Under the agreement, PAL will reportedly have the option to purchase the aircraft within the lease periods at specified prices.

"Some of these Airbus narrow-body planes may be purchased. There's nothing final yet," the PAL spokesperson said, adding that these acquisitions will likely be financed through fresh borrowing.

good news, thanks again to all forumers for their concerns in the philippine civilian aviation business, the most reliable sorce of information on the net !
PHILPAL

p.s.
how about some new pictures of airport aprons and their respective line-up´s at laoag, DMIA, MCIA, NAIA, davao, subic, etc ?

European destinations.. Finally! That's really good news for all the thousands of Filipinos in Europe.

Wait...did I hear "new"?...NEW as in factory fresh?! Please tell me this article didn't somehow get second hand and brand spankin new mixed up...this is gonna be great to see some NEW airframes in the fleet! :D

Great news, but im quite confused. Like skyblade, by "new planes" do they mean straight from the factory new? And are these new planes, the narrowbodies (A320, A319) or the not yet confirmed widebodies? I wish PAL was more clear with their announcements, as some statements can be misleading or changed in a following announcement.

Great news, but im quite confused. Like skyblade, by "new planes" do they mean straight from the factory new? And are these new planes, the narrowbodies (A320, A319) or the not yet confirmed widebodies? I wish PAL was more clear with their announcements, as some statements can be misleading or changed in a following announcement.

how true......one statement of PAL means guessing starts all over again......nevertheless great news for the flag carrier !

how true......one statement of PAL means guessing starts all over again......nevertheless great news for the flag carrier !
Indeed, whether new or second hand, at least PAL could move on w/ it's expansion.

"We will be signing an agreement with Airbus very soon. It could be before the year ends. We're in the final stages of drawing up the contract,"

This sounds like they are dealing directly with Airbus and they are also getting some new loans. so to me, it sounds like New Aircraft.

PAL really needs to catch, up, it has great reputation as the very first commercial airline company in Asia, even first than Japan!

Is there a chance for PAL to install satellite/direct tv program on every seat of the economy/coach class. This will be a big hit since passengers particularly the Pinoys are entertainment savvy.
The direct-tv feature is the main driver why I always take Jetblue given that
safety & service is comparable with other airlines.

Personalized satellite/direct TV may not be a stated importance when choosing an ariline. Of course no one will admit that they go for that tv. But when you conduct a survey, the personalized satellite/direct tv will result to be a derived importance, given that almost all other features such as safety & service are comparable with other airlines. Meaning, people will not admit that they choose airlines because of that feature for fear of being labeled as shallow. But based on deeper analysis of a survey, it is important. A derived but not stated importance. The tv is be an added value itself.

^^ i admit that i choose airlines coz of the PTV's. That's why I take JAL or Cathay Pacific.

Is there a chance for PAL to install satellite/direct tv program on every seat of the economy/coach class. This will be a big hit since passengers particularly the Pinoys are entertainment savvy.
The direct-tv feature is the main driver why I always take Jetblue given that
safety & service is comparable with other airlines.

Personalized satellite/direct TV may not be a stated importance when choosing an ariline. Of course no one will admit that they go for that tv. But when you conduct a survey, the personalized satellite/direct tv will result to be a derived importance, given that almost all other features such as safety & service are comparable with other airlines. Meaning, people will not admit that they choose airlines because of that feature for fear of being labeled as shallow. But based on deeper analysis of a survey, it is important. A derived but not stated importance. The tv is be an added value itself.

I don't know if you are to ask me, I rather be left alone in a quiet corner, relax and fall asleep. I do glance on what's on the screen when I'm eating my meal, I'm just not too picky nor very particular if the plane has PTV or overhead monitor, as long as I can see it freely and clearly. Maybe I'm just more of a bigscreen type of guy.

here we go again...... it seems that even the PAL officials themselves are confused. or maybe the press?

Philippine Airlines still negotiating for nine Airbus
11/10 5:40:16 PM

MANILA, (AFP) - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is negotiating for nine new Airbus A320s as part of a dramatic refleeting plan, replacing all of their old Boeing 737-300 aircraft, company officials said Thursday.

The officials clarified remarks by PAL president Jaime Bautista carried in a local paper in which he said the airline had already agreed to lease nine A320 aircraft and had already received two of them.

Negotiations with Airbus for the nine A320s are still on going and the contract is not expected to be signed until next year, the airline official said.

The official also said the report that the new aircraft were to replace Boeing 707s was wrong as the airline no longer operates 707s.

It is not yet decided if PAL will lease the nine new aircraft or purchase them outright, the company said.

The A320s will replace nine Boeing 737-300s that were leased from overseas.

Two of the older Boeing 737-300s have already been returned and have been temporarily replaced by two Airbus A320s on short-term leases.

However once the deal for the nine Airbus A320s is finalized and the aircraft are delivered, these two leased aircraft will be returned.

Bautista had been quoted in a local daily as saying that nine Airbus planes would be acquired under an "operating lease agreement," with an option to purchase them.

As posted by Ramvingar from thread III....

Philippine Airlines still negotiating for nine Airbus
11/10 5:40:16 PM

MANILA, (AFP) - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is negotiating for nine new Airbus A320s as part of a dramatic refleeting plan, replacing all of their old Boeing 737-300 aircraft, company officials said Thursday.

The officials clarified remarks by PAL president Jaime Bautista carried in a local paper in which he said the airline had already agreed to lease nine A320 aircraft and had already received two of them.

Negotiations with Airbus for the nine A320s are still on going and the contract is not expected to be signed until next year, the airline official said.

The official also said the report that the new aircraft were to replace Boeing 707s was wrong as the airline no longer operates 707s.

It is not yet decided if PAL will lease the nine new aircraft or purchase them outright, the company said.

The A320s will replace nine Boeing 737-300s that were leased from overseas.

Two of the older Boeing 737-300s have already been returned and have been temporarily replaced by two Airbus A320s on short-term leases.

However once the deal for the nine Airbus A320s is finalized and the aircraft are delivered, these two leased aircraft will be returned.

Bautista had been quoted in a local daily as saying that nine Airbus planes would be acquired under an "operating lease agreement," with an option to purchase them.

well at least there is some good news from Cebu Pacific:

Cebu Pacific slashes airfare rates
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 11/10/2005

Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific has slashed its domestic airfare rates by as much as 67 percent, a move expected to help the company realize a 20 percent growth in revenues and a 36 percent increase in passenger carriage starting next year.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) president Lance Gokongwei said that the lower fare strategy may be introduced for international flights next year.

Historically, the growth for CEB in terms of passenger carriage since 1996 has been 16 percent. With the reduced rates, CEB is now targeting a 36 percent growth. Load factor is also expected to increase from 65 percent todate (around two million passengers) to 75 percent.

Beginning today, CEB will offer fares as low as P699 one-way year-round, giving travelers savings ranging from P1,000 to almost P2,000 per leg. Called Go fares, the lower fares will be more restrictive in terms of changes (must be done 48 hours before) and cancellations and are geared towards leisure travelers who can plan their travels ahead. For the business travelers, the more expensive Flexi fares will remain, affording the traveler more flexibility (changes can be made 45 minutes before flight time).

For the Manila-Roxas leg, the Go fares will be reduced by as much as 67 percent, from P2,149 to P699 while the flexi fare will remain at P2,149. Before, CEB fares were only five to 15 percent lower than competition.

For the Manila-Cebu route, excluding surcharges, the fare will be reduced by 50 percent, from P1,998 to P999.Including fuel surcharges, insurance, and taxes, the rates will be reduced by around 37 percent, from P2,990 to P1,891.

Gokongwei revealed that they have set aside more than a million seats at fares below today’s fare levels, or about 30 percent of total overall capacity over the coming year. Of the one million seats (based on the 2006 seating capacity of between 3.5 to four million), more than 300,000 seats will be available at the lowest advertised fare levels.

CEB’s offering of substantially lower fares follows studies that pre-selling seats at lower prices would generate higher revenues and make the airline financially stronger.

He added that lower fares would also promote local tourism and even closer family ties since travel to the provinces would become very affordable.

"Our new initiative is good for the traveling public, the economy, and Cebu Pacific. This is all about getting people to think about flying. For those who fly today, we would like to encourage them to fly more frequently, and for those who haven’t flown before, we want to welcome them onboard and introduce them to air travel,"Gokongwei noted.

CEB general manager Danilo Mojica stressed that the new fares are not promotional fares but a permanent offer of discounts as is the practice of low-fare carriers worldwide.

The idea, he said, is to allocate seats to be sold in advance at discount fares. The remainder of the seats would be sold, at regular prices. "The secret is to book early and to also be flexible with your travel plans. If you are willing to plan a month or two ahead and to travel mid-week or on an early morning flight, then chances are you will get yourself a real bargain," Mojica pointed out.

He explained that by selling discounted seats that otherwise would not be sold especially during the lean months, CEB would be maximizing revenues and as a consequence ‘smoothing’ some of the demand peaks and troughs of the seasonal airline business.

This, he said, is the revenue model that made many foreign airlines, especially Southwest Airlines, on which CEB was patterned, successful.

Time to close this thread and continue it in Part IV! :colgate:

vye

Just testing if it's really full.. But that was a real good news for the public, Lower fares on cebu pacific....

Well, Again good news for everybody, a lower airfare on CebPacif according to one of the last post in the 3rd thread.

did pal ever operate a 707 before , wht i know is hey have dc-8's in their fleets in the 70's

did pal ever operate a 707 before , wht i know is hey have dc-8's in their fleets in the 70's


the whole article sounds like fake to me, whoever is responsable for that research work should go back to school......

did pal ever operate a 707 before , wht i know is hey have dc-8's in their fleets in the 70's

Not according to his link at least; http://www.answers.com/topic/philippine-airlines

Their Boeing aircraft have been 727's, 737's and 747's.

vehhhhhh

^ Well it's always an obvious way to attract tourist and business by lowering fares. Nothing beats that. It's always there for these airlines, if they're able and also willing to make that happen.

is pal realle flying to seattle and portland? coz its not listed in their website...

Could it be the PAL's previous bankruptcy record, if there is any, may have something to do with the indefinite decision on whether to use Airbus or boeing for their refleeting program? Maybe they can't get approaved right away with the creditors to finance for the their plans?

taken from inq7.net..

Gokongwei offers tan-talizing fares
Posted: 1:50 AM | Nov. 11, 2005

Victor Agustin
Inquirer News Service

(Published on Page B3 of the November 11, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

JOHN Gokongwei's airline has unleashed its Yuletide presents to Lucio Tan's airline: P1,000-P2,000 price cuts in all off-peak domestic fares.

The Cebu Pacific Air offer, which can go as low as P699 for the Manila-Roxas City route as against the present one-way fare of P2,149, is available all year round on a first-come, first-served basis starting this Friday.

Cebu Pacific president Lance Gokongwei said the airline was allocating about 30 percent of total capacity, or about a million seats in all, for the "Go" fares.

The airline's game plan is to increase load factor, which went down to 65 percent this year from 2004's 70 percent because of historic high fuel prices, to 75 percent for the year.

Initially available through the airline ticketing offices and select travel agents, the "Go" fares should be available worldwide on a book-and-buy basis on the Internet starting January, thus making them available even to "balikbayan" [visiting foreign-based Filipinos], said Bong Mojica, Cebu Pacific general manager.

The airline's initial deliveries of new Airbus 319 planes have shown encouraging results, and have even prompted Lucio Tan's Philippine Airlines (PAL) to announce that it too was replacing its aging fleet.

Mojica said Cebu Pacific's load factor for the busy Manila-Davao route was up by 22 percent last month, year-on-year, with the introduction of the new Airbus.

PAL, in answer, fielded bigger planes like the transpacific Boeing 747-400, A330 and A345 on the same Manila-Davao route, thus offering more capacity. Aggressive from its start in 1996, Cebu Pacific has now snatched about 34 percent market share, and aims to dislodge financially hobbled market leader PAL by 2009.

Cebu Pacific currently has 1,300 employees and 15 aircraft, for an 86:1 ratio, as against the formerly state-owned PAL, which has 7,800 employees and 31 planes, for a 251:1 ratio.

Gokongwei said the Go fares would eventually be made available to the airline's regional routes to compete head-on with regional low-cost airlines.

yippee, now that's what airline deregulation is all about

^^ ^^ I can see Lucio Tan Scratchin his balls and kness shaking... :hahaha:

definately this will drastically change the airline industry in the philippines. everyone will have to wake up, get up, and act accordingly to that bold challenge, not only PAL. but this will not mean distributing and diverting the available number of air travellers in the philippines to other than before airlines. this will definately push for more, new air passengers, that could not afford to fly so far. shipping- and bus lines will loose capacity. even they will have to adapt. airports being refurbished, renovated, upgraded will have greater income, more capacity. deregulation is a good move to the airline industry as a whole, let´s´just hope PAL will not looseat the end. it would be a shame to see the flag carrier go down after such a long time of existance, as the oldest airline in asia, that even helped JAL grow to what it is today (biggest airline in asia) by training their pilots when JAL started their a global expansion decades ago.

did pal ever operate a 707 before , wht i know is hey have dc-8's in their fleets in the 70's
Yep, PAL never did have a 707 in the fleet.

is pal realle flying to seattle and portland? coz its not listed in their website...
Nope, SEA and PDX isn't served by PAL let alone planning anything w/ those cities in the near future...unless I really missed something MAJOR within these past few weeks. ;)

taken from inq7.net..

Gokongwei offers tan-talizing fares
Posted: 1:50 AM | Nov. 11, 2005

Victor Agustin
Inquirer News Service

(Published on Page B3 of the November 11, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

JOHN Gokongwei's airline has unleashed its Yuletide presents to Lucio Tan's airline: P1,000-P2,000 price cuts in all off-peak domestic fares.

The Cebu Pacific Air offer, which can go as low as P699 for the Manila-Roxas City route as against the present one-way fare of P2,149, is available all year round on a first-come, first-served basis starting this Friday.

Cebu Pacific president Lance Gokongwei said the airline was allocating about 30 percent of total capacity, or about a million seats in all, for the "Go" fares.

The airline's game plan is to increase load factor, which went down to 65 percent this year from 2004's 70 percent because of historic high fuel prices, to 75 percent for the year.

Initially available through the airline ticketing offices and select travel agents, the "Go" fares should be available worldwide on a book-and-buy basis on the Internet starting January, thus making them available even to "balikbayan" [visiting foreign-based Filipinos], said Bong Mojica, Cebu Pacific general manager.

The airline's initial deliveries of new Airbus 319 planes have shown encouraging results, and have even prompted Lucio Tan's Philippine Airlines (PAL) to announce that it too was replacing its aging fleet.

Mojica said Cebu Pacific's load factor for the busy Manila-Davao route was up by 22 percent last month, year-on-year, with the introduction of the new Airbus.

PAL, in answer, fielded bigger planes like the transpacific Boeing 747-400, A330 and A345 on the same Manila-Davao route, thus offering more capacity. Aggressive from its start in 1996, Cebu Pacific has now snatched about 34 percent market share, and aims to dislodge financially hobbled market leader PAL by 2009.

Cebu Pacific currently has 1,300 employees and 15 aircraft, for an 86:1 ratio, as against the formerly state-owned PAL, which has 7,800 employees and 31 planes, for a 251:1 ratio.

Gokongwei said the Go fares would eventually be made available to the airline's regional routes to compete head-on with regional low-cost airlines.
Let the fare wars begin!!! BTW "Go" fares ala US Airways? :???:

PAL resumes direct flight to Beijing
By Nikko Dizon Inquirer News Service Nov. 11, 2005

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) on Friday resumed its direct flight service to Beijing, China after a 16-year hiatus from the route.

PAL flight PR 358 left at 7:30 am with 254 passengers, led by PAL chairman and chief executive officer, Lucio Tan, following a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal 2.

Several other VIPs joined the inaugural flight, including China Charge d'Affaires Xiao Qian, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin, Ms. International Precious Lara Quigaman, and a delegation from the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI).

PAL's Rene Soliman said that PAL would be using an Airbus A-320 for its Beijing flights, a relatively small aircraft with a full capacity of 150 passengers.

Cebu Pacific cuts fares sharply to boost load factor
By Emmie V. Abadilla

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the country’s low-fare pioneer, has adopted a new year-round pricing scheme, slashing its domestic fares between 50 percent to as much as 67 percent and saving travelers P1,000 to P2,000 per trip, announced President Lance Y. Gokongwei. The new fare schedule took effect yesterday.

With this move, the airline expects to boost its revenue load factor by at least 75 percent in 2006. This year, its revenue load factor stands at 65 percent, from 70 per cent in 2004, he noted.

"We forecast a 36 percent growth in carriage for all our domestic routes behind this new fare scheme," adds CEB General Manager Bong Mojica. At present, CEB carries 2 million passengers.

"We have set aside more than a million seats at fares below today’s fare levels, that’s about 30 percent of our total overall capacity over the coming year," Gokongwei explained. "Of the 1 million seats, more than 300,000 seats will be available at the lowest advertised fare levels."

In 2006, CEB plans to implement the new pricing scheme on its international destinations as well, benefitting passengers to and from Hong Kong and South Korea.

"That’s the intention," the President confirmed.

Under the new scheme, CEB is allocating seats to be sold in advance at a discount. The balance will be sold at regular prices.

The airline now offers two fare types. The first, called "flexi fare" is for business travelers and can be changed until 45 minutes before flight time. The second, "go fares" is for leisure travelers and are lower but restricted in terms of changes and cancellations. Any changes in flight plan should be made 48 hours before flight time.

The lowest "go fare" for Manila-Cebu, one way, is P999, or 50 per cent lower than the regular price of P2,569. It is lowest for Manila-Roxas, at P699, one way, or 67 per cent lower than the going price of P2,149.

Studies showed that pre-selling seats at lower prices would generate higher revenues and make CEB financially stronger, Gokongwei pointed out. "This is the revenue model that many foreign airlines successful, especially Southwest Airlines, on which CEB was patterned."

With "go fares", CEB can sustain its revenues throughout the year, removing the seasonality factor in its airline business, he underscored.

By selling discounted seats that otherwise will not be sold especially during the lean months, CEB would be maximizing its revenues, smoothing some of the demand peaks and drops in air travel.

"We can stimulate the market. People will have the initiative to fly more frequently and introduce those who have not flown before to air travel."

With more stable passenger loads yearly and with extra income from increased flight frequencies as demand goes up, CEB would be financially stronger.

On the other hand, passengers who want to book the lowest fare levels only need to book early, a month or two ahead and be willing to travel mid-week or on an early morning flight.

CEB pioneered low fares in the country in March, 1996. It was also the first to introduce ontime service, e-ticketing, fun games and flights and flight booking through Short Messaging System (SMS) or texting.

CEB now operates two brand new A320 and two A319 aircraft and will take delivery of two more A319s next month. From 2006–2007, it will have 8 more aircraft.

In two years, it will have the newest fleet in Asia. At present, CEB services 14 domestic routes and two international destinations–Hong Kong and South Korea.

Scrap the P6.8B Iloilo airport deal with contractor
Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Deputy House Minority Leader Representative Rolex Suplico (5th District, Iloilo) Tuesday said he has written Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to scrap the DOTC/Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture for the construction of the P6.8 Billion New Iloilo Airport Development Project.

In a letter dated Oct. 27, 2005 and received by the DOTC on October 28, Suplico told Mendoza that: "It is unlikely that the contractor (Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture) can finish the project by the end of October 2006 (the completion date). May I request, therefore, that the DOTC replace Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture with a more capable contractor, which can finish the project on time based on the approved plans?"

Suplico cited the fact that the "project consultants, Japan Airport Consultants, Inc., the Phil. JAC, Inc., and the Basic Technology and Maintenance Corp., found that the construction was 55.60 percent to 57.44 percent or five months behind schedule. This prompted a resort to a Catch-up program, and later an amended Catch-up program. Despite this, the construction is still 40.32 percent or three months behind the amended Catch-up program. These findings are contained in the Monthly Report No. 17 for the Month of August 2005."

"It is now impossible for Taise-Shimizu JV, the airport contractor, to finish the P6.8B Iloilo airport by the end of October 2006, the completion date. This is based solely on the findings of the airport consultants as stated in their Monthly Report No. 17 for the Month of August 2005. In fact, the report contained a familiar refrain in describing the construction progress: This is worst than last month. A look at the graph prepared by the consultants shows that the negative slippage incurred by Taise-Shimizu JV is rapidly increasing by the month," Suplico said.

"DOTC, therefore, has no choice. It has to rescind the contract and blacklist Taise-Shimizu JV from participating in the biddings conducted by the DOTC. Taise-Shimizu JV should not make a mockery of our biddings laws, rules and regulations. This is the same contractor, who according to Representative Jacinto Paras of Negros Oriental, won the bid and was given a notice to proceed for the construction of the P6.8 billion-Iloilo airport despite the fact that its joint venture partner was convicted of bribery in Japan, a fact which surfaced after the bidding," Suplico said.

"I understand that Taise-Shimizu JV is being protected by powerful politicians. However, these politicians should realize that the P6.8 billion Iloilo airport project is not their personal property. This project belongs to all Filipinos, especially the Ilonggos. After all, the P6.8 billion Iloilo project is funded by a foreign loan, which shall be repaid by the blood, sweat and tears of all Filipinos. For fiscal year 2006 alone, the peso counterpart of that foreign loan is P975 million, the biggest item in the proposed 2006 DOTC budget," Suplico added.

"I shall take up these concerns when the House Committee on Appropriations resumes its deliberations on the proposed 2006 DOTC budget this week. I shall also take them up this Wednesday, Nov. 9, when the committee on good government resumes its hearings on the alleged anomalies on the construction of the P6.8 billion Iloilo airport," Suplico said.

from airlinequality(skytrax)...Manila Ninoy Aquino by Darrell A Knox
2 November 2005

A modern clean airport. They include a smoking lounge and have a bar with reasonable prices example: 1 bottle of beer NAIA $1 or 50PHP as opposed to $5-$8 at PHX and LAX. They have 2 problems: the Philippines is a tropical country and they use evaporative coolers in the main areas of the airport which pretty much are useless because of the humidity. On my last 2 trips this year 2005, the security measures for US bound flights is a screening right before boarding that consists of x-raying everything. A pat down and wanding. And looking through all carry-on bags after X-ray. I don't blame them. This started after the TSA went to NAIA and inspected the security and found them lacking. But they are courteous and professional about it and have get the pre-board screening started early enough that the flights board on-time usually.



Manila Ninoy Aquino by Chris Boughton
1 November 2005

Manila used to be an easy airport to arrive in. Immigration could be a hassle due to long queues - never arrive just after 1pm! - but once through things got better. An annoying pair of people making sure your baggage claim tags match the bags with you but then getting transportation to the city was easy. If you had a hotel car pickup the greeters were inside the terminal holding signs and escorted you to the car. If you were getting a taxi you could pre-pay inside the arrival lounge and go out and queue. It worked. Alas, never underestimate the Filipino bureaucrat's ability to screw things up. Now both services have been move to the other side of the road outside the terminal, so you wheel your bags on unwieldy trolleys across the road dodging traffic. The taxi booking site is chaotic - you have to go inside a narrow entrance to pay and I refuse to leave my luggage outside unattended. You don't pay there, you have to pay the driver or he drives to a pay station elsewhere on the airport site where the change can be 'forgotten' unless you remind them. The hotel greeters are also on the other side of the road, and the pavement is used by their new lounge so you have to push your trolley on the road till you get there, again taking your life in your hands because Manila drivers are anarchic. Which also sums up Manila society. I can't wait for the new terminal to open. I watched it being built while I lived there confident I would get to use it. But I left 3 years ago today and it is still not operational. 2006 was the date in the newspapers last week. Many people have commented accurately on the state of departures so I don't propose to say the same stuff.
__________________

another reason why naia3 should open soon... or maybe, another reason to improve the services in naia

PAL, in answer, fielded bigger planes like the transpacific Boeing 747-400, A330 and A345 on the same Manila-Davao route, thus offering more capacity. Aggressive from its start in 1996, Cebu Pacific has now snatched about 34 percent market share, and aims to dislodge financially hobbled market leader PAL by 2009.

pal is using the 747-400 to davao is that true, is the runway long enough to land and takeoff and wht abt the a345, pal doest have an a345 they have a-340-200 series i believe, pal has long been using their a-330 to davao and i dont know if they ever use that plane for their transpacific flights, o know they use if for their regional routes in asia, the article seems inaccurate

^^ ^^ I can see Lucio Tan Scratchin his balls and kness shaking... :hahaha:

competition actually leads to greater efficiency and customers are happy and benefited

Cebu Pacific's having 3 new Airbus planes right?

Scrap the P6.8B Iloilo airport deal with contractor
Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Deputy House Minority Leader Representative Rolex Suplico (5th District, Iloilo) Tuesday said he has written Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to scrap the DOTC/Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture for the construction of the P6.8 Billion New Iloilo Airport Development Project.

In a letter dated Oct. 27, 2005 and received by the DOTC on October 28, Suplico told Mendoza that: "It is unlikely that the contractor (Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture) can finish the project by the end of October 2006 (the completion date). May I request, therefore, that the DOTC replace Taise-Shimizu Joint Venture with a more capable contractor, which can finish the project on time based on the approved plans?"

Suplico cited the fact that the "project consultants, Japan Airport Consultants, Inc., the Phil. JAC, Inc., and the Basic Technology and Maintenance Corp., found that the construction was 55.60 percent to 57.44 percent or five months behind schedule. This prompted a resort to a Catch-up program, and later an amended Catch-up program. Despite this, the construction is still 40.32 percent or three months behind the amended Catch-up program. These findings are contained in the Monthly Report No. 17 for the Month of August 2005."

"It is now impossible for Taise-Shimizu JV, the airport contractor, to finish the P6.8B Iloilo airport by the end of October 2006, the completion date. This is based solely on the findings of the airport consultants as stated in their Monthly Report No. 17 for the Month of August 2005. In fact, the report contained a familiar refrain in describing the construction progress: This is worst than last month. A look at the graph prepared by the consultants shows that the negative slippage incurred by Taise-Shimizu JV is rapidly increasing by the month," Suplico said.

"DOTC, therefore, has no choice. It has to rescind the contract and blacklist Taise-Shimizu JV from participating in the biddings conducted by the DOTC. Taise-Shimizu JV should not make a mockery of our biddings laws, rules and regulations. This is the same contractor, who according to Representative Jacinto Paras of Negros Oriental, won the bid and was given a notice to proceed for the construction of the P6.8 billion-Iloilo airport despite the fact that its joint venture partner was convicted of bribery in Japan, a fact which surfaced after the bidding," Suplico said.

"I understand that Taise-Shimizu JV is being protected by powerful politicians. However, these politicians should realize that the P6.8 billion Iloilo airport project is not their personal property. This project belongs to all Filipinos, especially the Ilonggos. After all, the P6.8 billion Iloilo project is funded by a foreign loan, which shall be repaid by the blood, sweat and tears of all Filipinos. For fiscal year 2006 alone, the peso counterpart of that foreign loan is P975 million, the biggest item in the proposed 2006 DOTC budget," Suplico added.

"I shall take up these concerns when the House Committee on Appropriations resumes its deliberations on the proposed 2006 DOTC budget this week. I shall also take them up this Wednesday, Nov. 9, when the committee on good government resumes its hearings on the alleged anomalies on the construction of the P6.8 billion Iloilo airport," Suplico said.

AGAIN ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS ? reminds me of davao international, took, was it 10 years to accomplish.....

One final option for us to have a better terminal, destroy all pre-existing airport terminals in Manila so that the government would be obliged to build a new one!!! I think I sounded lethal here.

here's another latest pic for NAIA 2, it's quite busy. From airliners.net

http://www.airliners.net/photos/photos/9/3/8/957839.jpg

That pic looks like something of things to come...the narrowbodies are made up mainly of A320s while a lone 733 sits in the left.

i thinks that a 747-400, wht is it there?? then it came from a domestic flight???

^^ i think they fly the 747 to Cebu sometimes

here's another latest pic for NAIA 2, it's quite busy. From airliners.net

http://www.airliners.net/photos/photos/9/3/8/957839.jpg

hello isaganizenze,
very nice pictures, where do you find them in airliners.net ? usually i click on "take me to the photo search page" and then i click on "all airlines" at "NAIA", "davao" or "other airports in the philippines". but how do i find these airport pics there ? would be great if you could explain please. thank you.

hello isaganizenze,
very nice pictures, where do you find them in airliners.net ? usually i click on "take me to the photo search page" and then i click on "all airlines" at "NAIA", "davao" or "other airports in the philippines". but how do i find these airport pics there ? would be great if you could explain please. thank you.


Hey richard, yes they are from airliners.net.

well this is how i go about it, which i think is exactly the same way as you do, but let me see what i do......

...yeah, click on the "take me to the photo search page"
then...from the drop down menu "country/airport..." choose the Philippines
and then "show me photos", that usually takes me to any airport destination in the Phils. and don't choose anything else with the other drop down menus. Just the one with "country/airport"


since i tested my ways: I found a new pic of NAIA terminal 2 (inside). care of Airliners.net. THEY're so cool!!!

http://www.airliners.net/photos/photos/1/0/2/958201.jpg

^^ T2 looks sterile and bland, they should at least put some foliage and color at the departure gates.

You think so Kiratoce? I kinda like the way it is. It looks very modern, I just like the fact that during the day, the sun brightens up the whole interior. To me it looks calm and relaxing inside considering that it was a busy hour in the day.

^^ i think they fly the 747 to Cebu sometimes
Indeed, this is an example of PR's high utlization of aircraft, if the 744 has nothing to do between intercontinental runs, throw it in a regional run like MNL-HKG or on a domestic, usually MNL-CEB.

I CUD'VE SWORN I THINK I SAW NORTWEST B747 IN MACTAN WHEN I WENT TO CEBU LONG TIME AGO. I MIGHT BE WRONG, MY MEMORY IS A BIT HAZY :D

Indeed, this is an example of PR's high utlization of aircraft, if the 744 has nothing to do between intercontinental runs, throw it in a regional run like MNL-HKG or on a domestic, usually MNL-CEB.

Yeah thats true. The last time i was in Cebu, they used a 744 on our CEB-MNL flight. And it was in a hurry because it had to reach MNL on time for a MNL-SFO flight.

Hey richard, yes they are from airliners.net.

well this is how i go about it, which i think is exactly the same way as you do, but let me see what i do......

...yeah, click on the "take me to the photo search page"
then...from the drop down menu "country/airport..." choose the Philippines
and then "show me photos", that usually takes me to any airport destination in the Phils. and don't choose anything else with the other drop down menus. Just the one with "country/airport"


since i tested my ways: I found a new pic of NAIA terminal 2 (inside). care of Airliners.net. THEY're so cool!!!

http://www.airliners.net/photos/photos/1/0/2/958201.jpg
hi isagane,
yups, i found out how to do it another way too. just go into airports on the left side of the airliners.net window. there it pops up as one of the first pictures. very easy, thanks for your help. keep us posted with new pics please.....

You think so kiretoce? I kinda like the way it is. It looks very modern, I just like the fact that during the day, the sun brightens up the whole interior. To me it looks calm and relaxing inside considering that it was a busy hour in the day.

A splash of color won't hurt, plus adding some greenery will make it more calming to the senses. I really, really, really love Jakarta's (CGK) airport, it blends the exteriors and interiors perfectly. Wish someone can post photos of that, you'll understand what I mean when you see it! :okay:

A splash of color won't hurt, plus adding some greenery will make it more calming to the senses. I really, really, really love Jakarta's (CGK) airport, it blends the exteriors and interiors perfectly. Wish someone can post photos of that, you'll understand what I mean when you see it! :okay:

you are right, some grenery would do good in T 2. otherwise i believe it´s a beauty the way it is. maybe they could hang their logo with the philippine flag from the ceiling at strategic spots. that would give T 2 the beautiful national color !
do you have a recommendation where/how to see jakarta´s airport in the internet please? i am anxious to see what you like so much about that airport. i looked at it on earth google from a satellite shot, it´s quite big and has a nice layout with it´s 2 runways and 2 terminals opposite eachother. salamat kiretoce.

You think so Kiratoce? I kinda like the way it is. It looks very modern, I just like the fact that during the day, the sun brightens up the whole interior. To me it looks calm and relaxing inside considering that it was a busy hour in the day.

I agree. I like it the way it is. Modernist. The splashes of color will come from the views from the outside.

A splash of color won't hurt, plus adding some greenery will make it more calming to the senses. I really, really, really love Jakarta's (CGK) airport, it blends the exteriors and interiors perfectly. Wish someone can post photos of that, you'll understand what I mean when you see it! :okay:

Jakarta's airport is beautifully designed, but poorly maintained (especially the washrooms). I agree, the should add some more greenary into NAIA T2. But otherwise, its a nice little modern airport:)

here is CGK (i quickly googled these)
http://www.cvg.ynu.ac.jp/G2/image/20050211-200405sasaki.jpg
http://www.fiscalstudy.com/im/air_travel/indonesia_airports_1.jpg
http://www.akdn.org/graphics/akaa/52_3016.jpg

Jakarta's Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK) photos
(Thanks to forumers 627 and ksunarjo from the main Aviation section of SSC)

http://img184.echo.cx/img184/9884/iaa199084zf.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

http://img128.echo.cx/img128/1176/iaa199094zd.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0693.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0315.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0690.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/595967.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/552859.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0319.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0318.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00211ow.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00094dd.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0691.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0689.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0317.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/IAA0316.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/dscn21698ct.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/168303667pcKFJY_ph.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00131mb.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00118mk.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00159fv.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00207cp.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00169cn.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/pict00228co.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/dscn21623kz.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/157797310GSRLWl_ph.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/6827/110732849qziTPA_ph.jpg

I like CGK myself as well, too bad w/ the maintenence though, it's such a nice airport... I guess same could be said for our NAIA T1. :(

Those pics are making me miss Jakarta! :cry:

Looks nice, does'nt have that generic airport look like everyplace else.

thanks kiretoce,
wish we had excellent pictures and layout-sketches like these on NAIA, MCIA, DMIA, Davao, Laoag !

taken from business world of today :

.......If the loan commitment is given by next month, the ADB will conduct feasibility and engineering studies for the projects from January-June 2006. Processing of the loan and project bidding is expected to span one year. Construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2008 and completion by late 2010. The loan would be used to develop airports in Puerto Princesa, Cotabato, Zamboanga, and Butuan; Airports listed for development will serve as regional gateways to Palawan, said to be the country’s largest tourism resource, Western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, Cagayan Autonomous Region and Growth Area, and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines- East ASEAN Growth Area.

found this old article, any further news about the progress of that airline ?

Asian Spirit flies to San Jose, Mindoro


Beginning July last month, flights to San Jose, Mindoro Occidental via Asian Spirit airlines will be a quick 30-minute trip as the airline brings in another 100-seater Bae 146 regional jet to the Philippines. Moreover, the airline is also offering a super saver promo fare of P1,000 per way as Asian Spirit celebrates its 9th anniversary of continuous service to San Jose. With the new jets, flight time to San Jose, Mindoro Occidental will be greatly reduced to 30 minutes, making it the fastest airline and the only jet service to this destination according to Asian Spirit vice president Jack Po.
The aircraft, manufactured by aviation giant British Aerospace Systems, is part of the growing fleet of medium-sized planes that Asian Spirit will be brining in this year. Also known as the “Whisperjet” because of its quiet operation and reputation as the cleanest aircraft, the new Bae 146 jet, is powered by four jet engines. The cabin and cockpit is pressurized for a smooth and comfortable ride. It has the best short take-off and landing capability and requires only 1,100 meters of runway. The aircraft is capable and certified to operate in all weather and day/night operations.
“Asian Spirit has been San Jose’s partner for growth as the airlines continues to provide air transportation year in and year out. And to celebrate this partnership, we are offering introductory rates using the newly acquired jets, making Asian Spirit service as the fastest, most comfortable and most cost-efficient transport service in Mindoro Occidental,” Po said.

here is another one about asian spirit :

Asian Spirit hikes capital, sets IPO
By ANA MARIE MACUJA
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the application of Asian Spirit, Inc. to increase its authorized capital stock from P300 million to P1 billion paving the way for the airline plan to undertake public stock offering. Asian Spirit?s application was approved by the Commission en Banc yesterday upon the recommendation of the Company Registration and Monitoring Department (CRMD).
"We hereby recommend the approve of increase in capital stock of subject corporation from P300 million to P1 billion with subscription of P175 million and partial payment of P100 million in the form of advances," the CRMD said. The increase in authorized capital stock of Asian Spirit forms part of its plans to go public next year. The airline earlier said it wishes to sell 30 percent of its shares to the public in 2006 to raise about P300 million to fund its ambitious expansion program which include regional flights to China in the next two years. The airline obtained its 25-year congressional franchise in March 2003 and its franchise agreement with the government provides for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in five years. If plans to go public would materialize next year, the airline would be two years ahead of its mandated public offering. Meantime, the domestic carrier controlled by the families of Jack Po, Noel Onate and Antonio Turalba had just embarked on a $40-million fleet expansion by acquiring four Bae 146 jets for its expanding routes in Palawan and Ormoc. The company had also just acquired the first of four newly-refurbished British Aerospace 146 jet plane dubbed as Jumbolino. Another would arrive in October, the third and fourth one within the first half of 2006. Two of the Jumbolinos are 80 seaters and 2 are 100 seaters. The Dash 7 are 50 seaters. Asian Spirit also known as the People?s Airline being founded as a cooperative is majority owned by a cooperative composed of its three major shareholders alongside aviation industry professionals and former staff and employees of other airlines.

Those pics are making me miss Jakarta! :cry:

Sorry Ryan....are you feeling homesick already? Or maybe just culture shocked?

thanks kiretoce,
wish we had excellent pictures and layout-sketches like these on NAIA, MCIA, DMIA, Davao, Laoag!

You're welcome Richard! Yeah, I wish to see floorplans and blueprints of our own Philippine airports too, I wonder where on the www are they stored and just waiting for me to be discovered? :lol:

yup kiretoce,
wish the websites of NAIA, MCIA and (DMIA never had one yet) were online again. i did see floorplans of T1 and T2 somewhere on the web, i think it was at google, look for NAIA and scrole through the pages. they are there somewhere with a subtitle like "finding your way through manila´s´airport"......

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/2103/a11vg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/773/a26ey.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ Do you have photos of the departure gates, check-in counters, and baggage claim areas too? :colgate:

A tiny predator, this Cebu Pacific
By Jun Ledesma Tuesday, November 15, 2005

I don't know what went into the corporate psyche of Cebu Pacific in drastically bringing down their fares to, if we have to believe their press releases, by as much as 50 percent on the average. This is good for us commuters; moreover, any, which way I look at this it, is smack of predatory pricing. But what makes this incredibly unique is that Cebu Pacific being the latecomer and a very small company, and that includes their aircrafts, is challenging the more experienced Philippine Airlines.

Amidst spiraling fuel cost and e-VAT I think we missed a lot in our simple math than what Lance Gokongwei had extrapolated to come up with this incredible CP's rate.

This looks like David and Goliath except that this is not the biblical times. CP is a pygmy compared to PAL. Adding two A300 Airbus to its aging fleet does not qualify it to become a challenger to PAL's dominant presence. I think that what Gokongwei just did was to wake up a sleeping giant.

You know PAL has never been bothered with the presence of Cebu Pacific despite a few hundred of pesos difference in their prices. Lucio Tan dismissed suggestions from his managers to forego of the Mabuhay Class and put in instead 15 more additional seats then reduce the price lower than Cebu Pacific.

The El Capitan, I heard, wants to keep the standard. Well, what do you know? PAL still enjoys over 100 percent booking in its major domestic destinations and international flights. So why indeed bother about Cebu Pacific little share of the growing passenger market and little profit?

But things are quite different now. When the small player tries to browbeat the bigger adversary, which is not only a challenge but also an insult! In fact, what Gokongwei is doing is making the El Capitan the "bad boy" and he, LG, the messianic businessman.

My guess is that Lucio Tan is not going to take this sitting down. I also hasten to guess that if at all the Chairman will call the challenge; he will not equal Cebu Pacific rates but will go down even lower! PAL actually can keep its international rates at its present profitable levels. It will go for the kill of CP. Tan can afford it but am certain that CP will not be able to sustain the predatory price war, which it had started.

Let's watch the next scenario. PAL has ordered 12 additional units, two of this already commissioned. With more coming more quickly than what the Gokongweis can imagine, we see more exciting days for the traveling public. Let's see where in the pacific will CP land next.

^^ Do you have photos of the departure gates, check-in counters, and baggage claim areas too? :colgate:

these are the only pics i found.. i'll just try looking for more pics. by the way kiretoce, is it okay to take pics inside the airport coz i have a friend and she's leaving for dubai this saturday. i'm planning to borrow a digicam and take pics of the airport.

PGMA expects more Sino tourists with resumption of direct PAL flights to Beijing

MANILA, Nov. 15 (PNA) - With the resumption of direct Philippine Airlines flights from Manila to Beijing, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed the hope on Monday that more Chinese tourists will visit the Philippines to further boost the long-standing relationship between Chinese and Filipinos.
"We have many tourists now coming from China but we would like to have more (tourists) especially from Beijing," the President said during the courtesy call of Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan at Malacañang this morning. "We hope that with your visit here, the people of your great city will be encouraged to visit us here," she added.

The President noted that with the resumption of PAL’s Manila-Beijing direct air flights, it would be more convenient not only for Beijing residents, but also for overseas Filipinos and Chinese tourists and business travelers to visit the Philippines. PAL suspended its direct flights to Beijing 15 years ago due to decreased revenues. This forced tourists to take one-stop flights or transfer connections, usually via Xiamen or Hong Kong just to visit the country. Non-stop flights between the two capitals started last Friday, Nov. 11. PAL would then fly three times a week to serve Chinese visitors, who are expected to grow to 100 million by 2020.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the reopening of direct flights between the two capitals is symbolic and a fitting milestone as the Philippines and China continue to promote and expand overall ties in the 30th year of their diplomatic relations. "It is symbolic of the emergence of the new golden age of partnership envisioned by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and President Hu Jintao during his state visit to the Philippines in April this year," Romulo said. For his part, Wang informed the President that tomorrow, he and his contingent would become "tourists" and tour parts of the Philippines such as Corregidor Island located off the province of Bataan.

A tiny predator, this Cebu Pacific
By Jun Ledesma Tuesday, November 15, 2005

I don't know what went into the corporate psyche of Cebu Pacific in drastically bringing down their fares to, if we have to believe their press releases, by as much as 50 percent on the average. This is good for us commuters; moreover, any, which way I look at this it, is smack of predatory pricing. But what makes this incredibly unique is that Cebu Pacific being the latecomer and a very small company, and that includes their aircrafts, is challenging the more experienced Philippine Airlines.

Amidst spiraling fuel cost and e-VAT I think we missed a lot in our simple math than what Lance Gokongwei had extrapolated to come up with this incredible CP's rate.

This looks like David and Goliath except that this is not the biblical times. CP is a pygmy compared to PAL. Adding two A300 Airbus to its aging fleet does not qualify it to become a challenger to PAL's dominant presence. I think that what Gokongwei just did was to wake up a sleeping giant.

You know PAL has never been bothered with the presence of Cebu Pacific despite a few hundred of pesos difference in their prices. Lucio Tan dismissed suggestions from his managers to forego of the Mabuhay Class and put in instead 15 more additional seats then reduce the price lower than Cebu Pacific.

The El Capitan, I heard, wants to keep the standard. Well, what do you know? PAL still enjoys over 100 percent booking in its major domestic destinations and international flights. So why indeed bother about Cebu Pacific little share of the growing passenger market and little profit?

But things are quite different now. When the small player tries to browbeat the bigger adversary, which is not only a challenge but also an insult! In fact, what Gokongwei is doing is making the El Capitan the "bad boy" and he, LG, the messianic businessman.

My guess is that Lucio Tan is not going to take this sitting down. I also hasten to guess that if at all the Chairman will call the challenge; he will not equal Cebu Pacific rates but will go down even lower! PAL actually can keep its international rates at its present profitable levels. It will go for the kill of CP. Tan can afford it but am certain that CP will not be able to sustain the predatory price war, which it had started.

Let's watch the next scenario. PAL has ordered 12 additional units, two of this already commissioned. With more coming more quickly than what the Gokongweis can imagine, we see more exciting days for the traveling public. Let's see where in the pacific will CP land next.


maybe the gokongweis want us to fly 24/7 like what they did to Sun Cellular's text 24/7.. hehehe fly unlimited

these are the only pics i found.. i'll just try looking for more pics. by the way kiretoce, is it okay to take pics inside the airport coz i have a friend and she's leaving for dubai this saturday. i'm planning to borrow a digicam and take pics of the airport.

I don't see why not. Unless there's a sign that specifically states that photography is prohibited otherwise. I say just take the photos and if someone "official looking" accosts you and tells you to stop, then you should oblige and just say that you didn't know that it was against the rules/laws/ordinances, etc. :colgate:

Can't wait to see your photos of MCIA, if you do get to take them. :okay:

hehe they might be thinking i'm a terrorist.. good thing i had shaved my mustache and goaty.. and also i've never stepped inside an airport in my entire life so im kinda ignorant on airport policies.. poor me!!!

Just tell them that you're taking pictures of your friend who is leaving the country and it'll be a while when you see her again. :lol:

hehe i'll just give it a try if ever they'll stop me from taking pics inside..

oist! im not sure with her flight schedule.. if she'll be leaving at dawn then i can't go with her to the airport..

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/2103/a11vg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/773/a26ey.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

sugbuanon,
what spot is that first shot taken from ? is it the approach road to the terminal ? and what is that "tent"-like building ? great that you want to shoot outside and inside the terminal ! maybe you can also shoot through the windows towards the aircraft on the apron ? do they have a visitor´s terrace ? that would be a great point of view for your camera. good luck ! incase they ask you what you are doing, just tell them that your german friend needs to place a "bomb" at the departure lounge, and you have to take pictures for him so he knows where to place it ..... ;-)

sugbuanon,
what spot is that first shot taken from ? is it the approach road to the terminal ? and what is that "tent"-like building ? great that you want to shoot outside and inside the terminal ! maybe you can also shoot through the windows towards the aircraft on the apron ? do they have a visitor´s terrace ? that would be a great point of view for your camera. good luck ! incase they ask you what you are doing, just tell them that your german friend needs to place a "bomb" at the departure lounge, and you have to take pictures for him so he knows where to place it ..... ;-)

im quite sure that "tent"-like building is the airport terminal... lolz... and the taller building behind it is the waterfront-mactan ;)

sugbuanon,
what spot is that first shot taken from ? is it the approach road to the terminal ? and what is that "tent"-like building ? great that you want to shoot outside and inside the terminal ! maybe you can also shoot through the windows towards the aircraft on the apron ? do they have a visitor´s terrace ? that would be a great point of view for your camera. good luck ! incase they ask you what you are doing, just tell them that your german friend needs to place a "bomb" at the departure lounge, and you have to take pictures for him so he knows where to place it ..... ;-)

actually richard i got those pics from the net so i have no idea which part of MCIA those pics are taken.. hehehe a terrorist from germany? i'll try that. :D

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5889/a15ec.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

check this site richard.. im very sure you'll be VERY HAPPY with this: http://www.daaaaa.com/pp/hi.html this one is a japanese site

all the pics are taken from the philippines..

wow sugbuanon ! salamat po ! the best site for philippine civilian aviation so far ! a great idea, how did you find it ? do you speak japanease ? how do i contact the person who made that site ? i do not speak japanease.....would like to chat with him or her ? any idea ?

actually richard i got these pics from the net so i have no idea which part of MCIA these pics are taken.. hehehe a terrorist from germany? i'll try that. :D

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5889/a15ec.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



this has to be the back side where you get to the plane and fly to anywhere, actually MCIA is 100% way better than the local airport in Manila

this has to be the back side where you get to the plane and fly to anywhere, actually MCIA is 100% way better than the local airport in Manila
Of course as we can see the jetway. :D And of course it is much better than what the Domestic Airport in Manila has to offer. Can't wait to fly into CEB next June! :D

check this site richard.. im very sure you'll be VERY HAPPY with this: http://www.daaaaa.com/pp/hi.html this one is a japanese site

all the pics are taken from the philippines..

no thumbnails... no thumbnails *slaps forehead* Oh well, at least I got to practice reading kana again.

either way, that was a long, tedious, list to flip through. But the Antonov plane and the British Airways plane were really cool.

wow sugbuanon ! salamat po ! the best site for philippine civilian aviation so far ! a great idea, how did you find it ? do you speak japanease ? how do i contact the person who made that site ? i do not speak japanease.....would like to chat with him or her ? any idea ?

i just found the site by accident.. @kiretoce was asking me if i have more pics of MCIA so i browsed the net for pics.. japanese? i only understand arigato.. hehe :D you are always welcome richard. by the way, i've read a book in our library, it contains pics and info of modern airports from around the globe. you will surely be wowed by the futuristic designs of some airports featured..

this is the site of AIRPORT BUILDERS (this is the title of the book): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471984450/102-1326392-9816913?v=glance

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/338/z16tu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

what happened to this plane? are those soots part of the plane's camouflage? :D

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/2508/a19sb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/4926/a29bn.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

bacolod airport

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/722/a33ls.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

davao airport

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/7396/x18vo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/3788/a48vx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

baguio airport

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3873/a66rh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9046/a72ck.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

katiklan airport

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/sleepwalker_uno/50898991.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/sleepwalker_uno/50898990.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/sleepwalker_uno/50898992.jpg

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: Great photos guy! Keep it up! :okay:

Davao Airport looks cool. And it looks pretty busy. Anymore pics?

sugbuanon and sleepwalker,
great ! great ! great ! at last some pictures of terminals and line-up´s at the tarmac ! is that really davao with those 2 PAL 320´s and the 330or340 just docking at the terminal at night ? i didn´t know 3 PAL jets dock at the same time in davao, looks like T2 to me....

^^^^^^ Bacolod airport is very similar to tacloban's airport... very similar... hehehe :D

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/338/z16tu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

what happened to this plane? are those soots part of the plane's camouflage? :D
Looks like a PAF C-123 Provider w/ a BN-2 Islander. The PAF C-123s haven't been flying for more than 20 years...surprised this one hasn't been scrapped yet. :eek:

Keep posting the images guys, looking good so far! :D

sugbuanon and sleepwalker,
great ! great ! great ! at last some pictures of terminals and line-up´s at the tarmac ! is that really davao with those 2 PAL 320´s and the 330or340 just docking at the terminal at night ? i didn´t know 3 PAL jets dock at the same time in davao, looks like T2 to me....

T2 perhaps. i found those pics at pbase.com and it said 'travel to davao' and davao airport is not that busy. thats T2.

taken from mb.com.ph...

Cebu Pacific gets ‘pioneer’ perks for P21-B refleeting

By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

The Board of Investments (BoI) has granted pioneer incentives to the P21.146 billion refleeting project of Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), the country’s second flagship carrier, that involves 14 new Airbus aircraft servicing local and international routes.

Trade and Industry Acting Secretary Elmer C. Hernandez, who is also BoI managing head, said the BoI treated the 14 new aircraft as one project because they will replace the company’s existing fleet of DC-9 aircraft.

As a pioneer project, the company is entitled to six-year income tax holiday and one percent duty on the importation of capital equipment, among other perks.

Hernandez said the start of reckoning of the ITH would be January 2007 when all the planes are delivered. The aircraft would be arriving here in tranches, the completion of which is January 2007.

"The company will only enjoy the ITH when all the 14 aircraft have arrived because it would be easier to monitor for incentive administration purposes," Hernandez said.

In treating all the 14 new aircraft as one project, Hernandez said that CEB opted for a single registration because it is phasing out the entire old fleet. The company also showed proof from the Air Transport Office that it is phasing out its old fleet.

The issue of whether the BoI has to treat the company’s registration on a per aircraft basis or as a single project is crucial because if the incentives would be given on per aircraft basis, CEB may be able to avail of a longer income tax holiday incentive.

Under its schedule, CEB would bring in six aircraft this year, 6 next year and two more in 2007.

So far, the airline already received two Airbus 320s for lease. Two A319 were delivered last month and two more would be delivered in December.

For 2006, two more aircraft would be delivered each month in June and July and one each in August and September. The last delivery would be in 2007.

CEB is the airline unit of publicly-listed JG Summit Holdings Inc.

Project financing would be through 85 percent aircraft financing agreement with export credit agencies.

As early as May 2004, CEB had already intended to register its project or as soon as the financial closure of the aircraft acquisition agreement is completed.

The recent conclusion of its financial closure agreement has facilitated the project’s registration with the BoI.

Earlier, the company said it would double its net income this year with the acquisition of new low-cost aircraft to P300 million to P400 million from last year.

The $670-million refleeting program will make the company’s fleet the youngest in the Philippines and one of the youngest in the region. The program was meant to replace all its old DC-9s aircraft, with ages averaging 25 to 27 years old.

With new aircraft and added frequencies, the company expects a more efficient operation. The Gokongweis through its holding firm own 49 percent in the airline.

Those airports are looking good, especially Davao's!

The best airport we have so far in the country thats open are

DAVAO
NAIA 2
MCIA
NAIA 1
ZAMBOANGA
GENSEN
DMIA

what and where is GENSEN airport tigidig ? sounds chinease to me......any pics of that one ? do you possibly mean general santos ?

what and where is GENSEN airport tigidig ? sounds chinease to me......any pics of that one ? do you possibly mean general santos ?


yes, it's short for gensan.

Yes I think he meant to say Gen San but mistyped it. That's General Santos.

which airport in mindanao can accommodate a 747-400, i read somewhere pal is fielding this plane for its davao route is this correct??

which airport in mindanao can accommodate a 747-400, i read somewhere pal is fielding this plane for its davao route is this correct??
GES/General Santos can support a 747 alongside DVO. A 747-400 WAS (and occasionally is thanks to aircraft changes due to factors such as maintinence checks and other fun things)) used on on MNL-DVO. Back in January 04, just a days weeks after (FINALLY) having RPC-8168 delievered, PAL scheduled it to do PR815/816 on a semi-regular basis. Originally RP-C8168 didn't have auxiliary tanks on it which meant the best it can pull off in terms of range was Honololu so at first, it was being utilized on this flight along w/ General Santos and Cebu as well as PR 431/432 from/to Tokyo and other regional routes when needed. Of course, once the tanks got installed, -C8168 became more flexible in scheduling and could do trans-Pac flights just like her sister 744s. Nowadays PR815/816 is being served by a 737 though the three other flights doing the MNL-DVO route are done by A330-300s... But occasionally I'm sure a 744 would find it's way to Davao. ;)

GES/General Santos can support a 747 alongside DVO. A 747-400 WAS (and occasionally is thanks to aircraft changes due to factors such as maintinence checks and other fun things)) used on on MNL-DVO. Back in January 04, just a days weeks after (FINALLY) having RPC-8168 delievered, PAL scheduled it to do PR815/816 on a semi-regular basis. Originally RP-C8168 didn't have auxiliary tanks on it which meant the best it can pull off in terms of range was Honololu so at first, it was being utilized on this flight along w/ General Santos and Cebu as well as PR 431/432 from/to Tokyo and other regional routes when needed. Of course, once the tanks got installed, -C8168 became more flexible in scheduling and could do trans-Pac flights just like her sister 744s. Nowadays PR815/816 is being served by a 737 though the three other flights doing the MNL-DVO route are done by A330-300s... But occasionally I'm sure a 744 would find it's way to Davao. ;)

hi skyblade,
you know a lot of details about aircraft and PAL, do you work in the airline business ?

^^ no, he is just an enthusiast.

hi skyblade,
you know a lot of details about aircraft and PAL, do you work in the airline business ?
Unfortunately not (yet, maybe?). :( As GreyX said, I'm just another Filipino aviation enthusiast wandering around SSC. :D

BTW for those whom didn't know yet and is interested in identifying PAL's latest 744 (RP-C8168), just look at the lettering each time you see a PR 747, the "es" isn't in bold as the rest:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/870306/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/779196/M/

BTW for those whom didn't know yet and is interested in identifying PAL's latest 744 (RP-C8168), just look at the lettering each time you see a PR 747, the "es" isn't in bold as the rest:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/870306/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/779196/M/

Why is that? It looks like the "ES" were scribbled on with a Marker.

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5314/d13hk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5432/d25ly.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/5887/d36yd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Why is that? It looks like the "ES" were scribbled on with a Marker.
I have no idea at all, I guess that the guys in the paint shop must've had a lazy day er something...:nuts:

Anyhow, thanks sugbuanon for posting those pics of CGY! :D

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5314/d13hk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5432/d25ly.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/5887/d36yd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

hi sugbuanon,
you are about to set up the most comprehensive photo-data on phil. airports ever ! congrats, and keep it up please ! fantastic work. SALAMAT.
richard

good news fellow forumers,
yesterday i met with mr. dr. hecker here in heidelberg, germany. he was consultant / responsable for transportation with the ADB (asian development bank) in manila. he specialized on surveys in the philippines on highways, airports, etc. he is retired now, married to a filipina and lives "just around the corner". i was able to convince him to have a look at the phil. forumers at skyscrapercity.com and eventually join. he has a lot of knowledge on projects that were planned, constructed or have been in the pipeline. maybe he can share one or the other with us forumers, as far as he is allowed to speak about them in the public. so hopefully we will have a new competent forumer, who loves the philippines, just like i do, and who can share with us all.
best regards from richard/germany

Excellent to hear more people will be able to contribute more info and knowledge for the RP aviation scene. :D

wow.. nice work richard! :)

hi richard! that's great news. can't wait to hear input from mr. hecker.

Very interesting to so these pictures from different Filipono aerodromes and aviation in general. Please you guys who have pictures or possibility to take pictures, please share them with us. Is there anyone with pictures/information on flight clubs, aviation schools etc?

thank you richard, you are always welcome!!! you are also welcome skyblade!!!

Very interesting to so these pictures from different Filipono aerodromes and aviation in general. Please you guys who have pictures or possibility to take pictures, please share them with us. Is there anyone with pictures/information on flight clubs, aviation schools etc?

check this site atlason: http://iau.com.ph/about_iau.htm this is the official webpage of INDIANA AEROSPACE UNIVERSITY located in Mactan, Cebu.. hope this would help :)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/722/a33ls.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

davao airport


structure on the left is the old terminal building. the new one is on the other side of runway, invisible, perhaps under construction when this photo was taken.

^^ wow thanks for the additional info sleepwalker.. the new terminal is totally awesome, modern na modern ang design.. thanx again!!!

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5432/d25ly.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Pls. scrub those seats!

what can they say..those are the parts not seated on by the customers..and thus, the accumulation of dirt. ^_^

I have no idea at all, I guess that the guys in the paint shop must've had a lazy day er something...:nuts:

Anyhow, thanks sugbuanon for posting those pics of CGY! :D

maybe it was originally painted as airlinES

Pls. scrub those seats!

It looks more like due to the chair's age and not from dirt, comon it's plastic (or fiber glass seats maybe?).

structure on the left is the old terminal building. the new one is on the other side of runway, invisible, perhaps under construction when this photo was taken.

i believe the new terminal was already finished when this shot was taken. in my opinion it is on the right front of this picture. the plane from which this shot was taken is just arriving/leaving the terminal. so the prolongation of the asphalting at the right leads directly to the new terminal.

i believe the new terminal was already finished when this shot was taken. in my opinion it is on the right front of this picture. the plane from which this shot was taken is just arriving/leaving the terminal. so the prolongation of the asphalting at the right leads directly to the new terminal.

the old terminal behind cebu pacific...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/air/cebupacific.jpg

or maybe this pic was flipped horizontally
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/722/a33ls.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Both shots are correctly placed. YOu can barely see Mt. Apo in the distance that would be the key.

Tourism dep’t: Clark Airport rated fastest growing gateway in RP
By Albert B. Lacanlale Sunday, November 20, 2005

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) sees the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark as the fastest growing airport in the country.

Compared to the other ports of entry in Manila, Mactan, Laoag or Davao, DOT Central Luzon regional director Ronaldo Tiotuico said the airport in Clark posted the biggest growth rate at 132.39 percent from January to September 2005.

He said that based on data from the Bureau of Immigration, Clark drew some 34,064 international passengers from January to September this year compared to last year at 14,658 only during the same period.

According to retired Gen. Danilo Augusto Francia, president and CEO of Clark International Airport Corp., the emerging port of entry in Pampanga, which opened to international passenger traffic only last year, contributed some 1.79 percent share in the overall arrival figures of 1.9M during the same period.

Naia, being the national gateway, contributed the biggest share of passenger load at 83.96 percent vis-à-vis the total arrivals, while Cebu’s share is pegged at 10.50 percent, and Laoag at 1.17 percent.

Of the total arrivals in Clark, Korean tourists continue to dominate the field with over 21,000 arrivals as of September. Arrivals from Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong continue to contribute to the increasing trend as the Yuletide season draws near when tourists visit Clark for shopping and leisurely activities like golfing and gaming, Tiotuico said.

For his part, Bienvenido Manga, VP and general manager, said that the significant growth in visitor traffic has been attributed to the arrival of low-cost carriers like Air Asia, Tiger Airways, Far Eastern and CR Airways, among other airlines.

Manga is responsible for inviting these LCCs to Clark for the last three years or so.

On-line booking has become the order of the day for these carriers which brought down significantly the cost of air fares and all. It is only in Clark where passengers pay more for travel tax than their airfare, so they say.

As a result of the significant increase in the volume of traffic, Clark is seen to contribute quite heavily to gaining DOT’s target arrivals of 2.6 million this year from 2.3 million arrivals last year.

For this reason, Clark should be the gateway to reckon with, according to Tiotuico.

Not bad for DMIA. :D

what are the airlines who fly and land at DMIA???

what are the airlines who fly and land at DMIA???

SEair is hubbed at clark.

Also, Asiana was one of the first, flying seoul-clark. Cebu Pacific flies CEB-CRK, too, I think. Then there's Tiger Airways flying from SIN and MFM and Air Asia flying from KUL and BKI. CR airways is supposed to be flying there, and some Taiwanese airline.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/775/image4677ew.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/674/image4689rf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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i got all these pics from a friend who is working for Lufthansa Philippines

^^ Coolness! :okay: Do you have more?

i still have more than 20 pics here.. ill just post some of them tomorrow.

Can't wait! :colgate:

Sweet!! Whats that red and white airline? Is it Austrian Air? since i know that they are servicing them. Interesting to see whats going on inside that hangar.
Say thanks to your friend for us:)

^^ Which photo are you referring to Ryan? :dunno:

Did you see the photos of the American F16 that had to do an emergency landing at NAIA?

^^ Yep! They had the grounds people help in the towing of the F16 Fighter Jet. :lol:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c78/eatabagel/zoom1.jpg

from the article:
Airport grass cutters towed away the jet shortly after landing on the emergency runway, and one international flight was delayed as a result, officials said. NAIA does not have any towing equipment for an F16.

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=2&story_id=57400

lol...high tech stuff being towed through low tech methods.

@ Kimber - the second picture

Man I would've loved to have spotted that....esp w/ the ground personnel pushing it. :D


Looking at the tail code (WW) that F-16 is usually based in Misawa Air Base here in Japan.

BTW excellent shots, Sugbuanon! I'd love to tour the LHTP hangar myself.

ei guys, i heard over the radio that cebu pacific is now offering cheap flights from manila to hongkong.. i cant confirm it yet cuz their website is down.. il get back to you on this..

Sweet!! Whats that red and white airline? Is it Austrian Air? since i know that they are servicing them. Interesting to see whats going on inside that hangar.
Say thanks to your friend for us:)

that red and white airline is mauritius, they have a D check maintainance deal with LHT philippines. thanks for the great shots sugbuano, great photos !

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE ? or this time reliable ?

'Just compensation' for PIATCo
DBP raising $300M for NAIA 3 buyout
Posted: 1:45 AM | Nov. 23, 2005


STATE-OWNED Development Bank of the Philippines is preparing a $300-$400 million loan facility for the Manila International Airport Authority to compensate Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (PIATCo), former project proponent of Terminal 3 of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), banking sources said

PIATCo was forced out of the NAIA 3 build-operate-transfer project by the Supreme Court in a ruling in May 2003 that the contract was "grossly disadvantageous" to the government.


Banking sources said DBP was preparing a 10- to 15-year loan to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) that would be backed by zero-coupon government bonds.

"It's still being structured," a banker said of the loan.

Other sources said the airport authority was raising the funds needed to buy out PIATCo while awaiting a court ruling on how much the "just compensation" would be.

Takenaka Corp., which constructed the terminal, said the PIATCo consortium of Filipino and German partners spent $290 million to put up NAIA 3, but PIATCo claimed it spent $650 million.

The government plans to open the NAIA 3, which is now 98-percent completed, by March.

Official sources said the MIAA was looking at a shorter-term loan because the government did not intend to hold on to the terminal for long.

As the plan is to privatize the airport at the soonest time possible, the government would prefer a loan maturity of less than 10 years, the sources said.

DBP is willing to lend up to $400 million but $300 million would be enough to meet MIAA's requirements for the controversial terminal, the sources added.

In any case, the sources said, the government would thresh out all problems and clean up NAIA 3's finances to make it more attractive to new investors.

The government expropriated the airport terminal last December. It has since faced a number of lawsuits, including an arbitration case filed before the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes by PIATCo's German-based partner, Fraport AG, which demanded reimbursement of $425 million that it says it had invested in NAIA 3.

Fraport later agreed to sell its 61-percent stake in PIATCo for $200 million to a consortium headed by Chinese-Filipino businessman Emilio Yap, the owner of the Manila Hotel.

The long-drawn controversy took on another twist when Asia's Emerging Dragon Corp. (AEDC), the original proponent of the NAIA 3 project before it was awarded to PIATCo, revived its interest in the terminal project. AEDC has asked the Supreme Court to order the government to award it the contract to operate the mothballed facility.

Citing the build-operate-transfer law, AEDC said it was automatically entitled to the award of the NAIA 3 project as a matter of "clear statutory right."

Established in 1993, AEDC was originally composed of Chinese-Filipino tycoons John Gokongwei, Andrew Gotianun, Henry Sy, George Ty, Alfonso Yuchengco and Lucio Tan. Tan later bought the shares of the other five magnates. With INQ7.net

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keep up the grand work dear sugbuanon, you are one of the leading forumers with all your activity ! salamat.

"salamat din richard" i'll post the remaining pics on the next page coz there are already too many pics on this page.

:eek: They really do breakdown the airplane for these checks, thorough....very thorough! :okay:

oh, that's just pretty... *_*

"salamat din richard" i'll post the remaining pics on the next page coz there are already too many pics on this page.

what does "din" richard mean sugbuanon ?

salamat din =thankyou also;)

daghang salamat sugbuanon sa hulagway nga imong gipakita...

super cool pix sugbuanon. be careful though is it ok to take those pix? baka ma cesante ka!

on another note is that a c or d check if they open up the engine like that?

I think C to say at the least...

I'd love to get one of those Lufthansa shirts! :D