Philippine Airlines is set to finalize its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus regarding an order for nine A350-1000 aircraft.
The final decision should be announced during the upcoming Paris Air Show, as reported by Reuters citing sources familiar with the matter. Currently, the order is in the final phase of contractual negotiations.
Philippine Airlines announced that it had signed the MoU with Airbus in early May 2023, with the flag carrier of Philippines planning to add nine A350-1000 aircraft to its fleet.
“The A350-1000 combines greater range capability with the higher capacity we need to serve future demand. It’s the perfect aircraft to enable PAL to meet its expansion plans in a sustainable way, while offering passengers the highest levels of onboard comfort,” said Captain Stanley Ng, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Philippine Airlines at the time.
The carrier said it would deploy the wide-body jet on routes to Canada, the United States, while exploring the possibility of expanding its route network to Europe. Currently, Philippine Airlines flies to several destinations in the US, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Honolulu International Airport (HNL).
It also operates flights to two Canadian airports, namely Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
On these long-haul routes, Philippine Airlines typically uses either the Airbus A350-900 or the Boeing 777-300ER, flightradar24.com data showed.
However, it does not operate any flights to Europe, though its flight network extends as far as the Middle East.
According to ch-aviation.com, in addition to the A350-900 and Boeing 777, Philippine Airlines operates 10 Airbus A330s, as well as Airbus A320ceo and A320neo family aircraft. To fly regional itineraries, the carrier utilizes its fleet of 10 De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Q400 aircraft.