By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, July 20 (PNA) — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Monday said that it is expanding its international services with the upcoming launch of regular services to Papua New Guinea capital, Port Moresby on October 25 this year.
Port Moresby is the third international destination opened by PAL this year, following New York on March 15 and Quanzhou (Jinjiang), China on April 25.
It is the flag carrier’s 37th international point overall.
The airline company will also be flying to Cairns, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand on December 2.
PAL said that the Port Moresby service will operate twice a week, with flight PR 215 departing Manila every Friday and Sunday at 2:10 a.m. Arrival at Port Moresby’s Jackson International Airport is at 9:20 a.m.
The return flight, PR216, departs Port Moresby on the same days at 10:10a.m., arriving in Manila at 1:20p.m. This will also allow passengers to further connect to the flag carrier’s domestic and international route network.
PAL will field modern Airbus A320 planes, which seat 12 in business and 144 in economy, on the five-hour-and-ten-minute-journey.
In a statement, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista welcomed the airline company’s latest development.
“I am pleased to announce PAL’s newest destination within the Oceania Region,” Bautista said.
“The robust investment climate and the upsurge of business travel to and from Papua New Guinea make it ideal for PAL to open services between Manila and Port Moresby,” he added. (PNA)