FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) during the weekend said that more A350-1000 aircraft are arriving this year to boost its fleet and strengthen its network.
“We are expecting to acquire more. In fact, five out of the nine A350-1000 we acquired will be arriving in 2026 and will be added to our fleet,” PAL Executive Vice President and COO Carlos Luis Fernandez said on Saturday during the unveiling of a recently delivered A350-1000.
The latest PAL jet was delivered in December and was formally inaugurated on Saturday.
Other than the five A350-1000s arriving this year, four more are slated for delivery between 2027 and 2028.
The aircraft, which will service PAL’s long-haul routes, particularly to North America, has a tri-class cabin layout that can accommodate up to 382 passengers — 42 seats in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy and 316 in Economy.
It will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 turbofan engines that are each capable of delivering up to 97,000 pounds of thrust.
Compared with previous-generation aircraft, the A350-1000 will offer up to a 25 percent reduction in fuel and carbon dioxide emissions and can be flown using sustainable aviation fuel or SAF.
“For us, this aircraft stands as a powerful symbol of our resurgence,” PAL Holdings, Inc. President Lucio Tan III said.
“It represents our confidence to compete globally while remaining rooted in who we are as Filipinos,” he added.
With the latest acquisition, Philippine Airlines now has 82 aircraft in its fleet.
Shares of the airline’s parent PAL Holdings closed unchanged on Friday at P3.84 apiece.
