Philippine Airlines is rebuilding its international network and on Tuesday inaugurated its Manila-to-Perth, Australia route, the airline’s newest after the pandemic.
“This new route expands Philippine Airlines’ footprint in Australia, making PAL the largest airline operator offering the most routes from the Philippines to this very important region of the world,” said Stanley Ng, PAL president and chief operating officer said.
PAL accounts for 60 percent market share of the Manila to Australia route.
Australia is the country’s third largest source of tourist visitors, with more than 89,000 Australians visiting the Philippines in 2022.
Ng said the forward booking for Manila to Perth was “building up quite well” and “indeed a strong start for the route.”
“We are optimistic about the growth prospects for a Perth-Manila service. We hope to stimulate travel flows in both directions, so we may build up to more weekly flights eventually.”
Stanley Ng, PAL president and chief operating officer
Ng acknowledged the airline is still rebuilding its network after the “very tough” pandemic period.
“We are now at 92 percent of our pre-pandemic flights.. We have high hopes for the success of our Perth-Manila service. Indeed, Perth-Manila is the first international route we are introducing after the pandemic,” he said.
Some 46,000 Filipinos live in Western Australia.
The nonstop flight to Manila allows for easy connections to Cebu, Davao and other Philippine business and resort destinations. Travelers from Perth may also fly onward nonstop to the U.S. West Coast, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Perth is PAL’s fourth Australian gateway, joining Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, all of which are served with nonstop flights using Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft.
PAL offers a total of 20 weekly direct flights to Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
