PAL eyes Australia after launching flights to Canada

Toronto, Canada — As part of its aggressive market development strategy, flag carrier Philippine Airlines late Monday (Tuesday in Manila) said it is expanding its route to Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern territory, as early as in the first quarter of 2013.

 

The announcement coincided with a press conference in Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto during which PAL  

vice president for Marketing Support Felix Cruz also talked about the Toronto service the airline launched on Friday, Nov. 30.

 

Right after launching its Toronto, Canada, service last week, Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to fly to Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern territory and its gateway to Asia, early next year.

 

The development of new markets via route expansion, fleet modernization, and customer service refinements were recently outlined by PAL president and CEO Ramon S. Ang in a briefing in Manila last August where the company announced it ordered 54 new aircraft from Airbus.

 

The inaugural flight to Totonto last week marked the start of “more exciting things to come for Asia’s first airline. PAL is committed to serve Filipinos worldwide and to bring the country’s 90 million population closer to the rest of the world,” Cruz said late Monday here.

 

“Through PAL’s direct service, we want to showcase the opportunities between Manila and Toronto in terms of tourism, culture, and trade relations,” he added.

 

At 120,000 arrivals in 2011, Filipino-Canadians were among the largest visitor groups to the Philippines, according to the airline, saying it expects 2012 to top 2011 in terms of arrivals.

 

As of end-August 2012, the number of Filipinos who flew from Canada to the Philippines reached 81,093, according to PAL data.

 

PAL flies from Toronto to Manila – 15 hours  non-stop – Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, arriving in Manila before 6 a.m., said Cruz, noting the early arrival gives passengers enough time to catch connecting flights to 32 domestic and 26 international destinations. — VS, GMA News