By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, Aug. 31 (PNA) — Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to welcome the final arrival flight of its flagship aircraft — the Boeing 747-400 — at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (NAIA T2) in Pasay City before it retires on Monday.
The arrival flight, which will be coming from San Francisco, California, will be the final flight of the flagship aircraft after 35 years of service since 1979.
According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), there will be a water-cannon salute ceremony for the said inbound flight at the ramp area of NAIA Terminal 2.
To recall, PAL began retiring the last remaining 747 aircraft in the fleet after the United States Federal Aviation Administration restored the Category 1 status to the Philippines.
The designation allowed PAL to begin deploying new and modern and fuel-efficient Boeing 777 fleet to the United States, gradually replacing the Boeing 747 fleet.
Last May 12, the flagship aircraft title was transferred from the B747 to the B777 at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
PAL placed an order for Boeing 777 aircraft in 2006 with the intention of deploying it to the US but was banned from using it in the US for more than six years after the Philippines was downgraded to Category 2 status.
Because of this, B747 has been used primarily as flagship aircraft in long-haul routes to North America, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East for 35 years.
Aside from PAL, other carriers to begin retiring the older aircraft include Eva Airways and Cathay Pacific.
At present, PAL has six Boeing 777 aircraft in the fleet, which currently operates daily flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and select flights to Vancouver and Toronto. (PNA)