PAL to increase Japan, Australia flights

FLAG CARRIER Philippine Airlines (PAL) will increase flight frequencies to Japan and Australia starting in October to meet expected demand during the winter and year-end travel seasons.

In a statement on Tuesday, PAL said it will add flights on three Japan routes during the Northern Hemisphere winter season.

Beginning Oct. 25 through March 27, 2027, the airline will operate 21 weekly flights each on its Manila-Tokyo and Manila-Osaka routes, up from 14 weekly flights.

PAL will also increase flights between Manila and Sapporo to five times weekly from three beginning Nov. 24 through Feb. 27, 2027.

“The winter season is one of the most popular times of the year for Filipinos visiting Japan, while it is also a peak period for Japanese travelers seeking the Philippines’ tropical destinations,” PAL President Richard Nuttall said.

The additional services will increase PAL’s Japan operations to 87 weekly flights, the airline said.

“By adding more flights, we are giving our customers greater flexibility during these high-demand months while strengthening tourism, business and cultural exchanges between our two countries. The additional services also provide more cargo capacity to support growing trade between the Philippines and Japan,” Mr. Nuttall said.

PAL said it will also increase flights to Melbourne and Perth during the Christmas and New Year travel season.

Selected Sydney and Brisbane flights will be operated using larger aircraft to increase seat capacity, it added.

“These seasonal enhancements are designed to support the strong demand from Filipino communities in Australia, holidaymakers, and visiting friends and relatives traveling during the year-end peak season,” the airline said.

For the first quarter, PAL Holdings, Inc., the airline’s parent company, posted P4.28 billion in attributable net income, down 1.15% from P4.33 billion a year earlier.

Gross revenue rose 11.67% to P52.43 billion from P46.95 billion, while gross expenses increased 8.94% to P46.07 billion from P42.29 billion.

The airline carried 4.30 million passengers in the first quarter, up 6.1% from a year earlier. PAL attributed the increase to post-holiday demand, network resilience, and capacity expansion, with available seat kilometers rising 7.2%.

Shares in PAL Holdings closed unchanged at P2.60 apiece on Tuesday. — Ashley Erika O. Jose