Flag carrier Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) yesterday said it has restored 80 percent of its pre-pandemic domestic operations and continues to increase flights to increase this level as travel restrictions further ease.
Prior to the pandemic, PAL was operating an average of 300 flights daily.
Besides restoring 80 percent of its number of domestic flights, it has also restored 60 percent of its pre-pandemic international flights.
“To be specific, 80 percent of our average 170 domestic flight legs daily and 60 percent of our average 130 international flight legs daily,” PAL said.
The airline industry was severely affected by the pandemic due to the strict travel restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the COVID-19 since March 2020.
To continue to recover, PAL said it will be increasing flights progressively as travel restrictions further ease.
“We look forward to reverting back to pre-pandemic levels in due time,” the airline said.
PAL is aggressively expanding its domestic and international operations starting this month in line with the progressive easing of restrictions and reopening of borders in various countries.
For international flights, PAL is operating in 29 key destinations including the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai.
PAL also flies to 43 local destinations out of key hubs such as Manila, Cebu and Davao.
Last year, PAL reported a comprehensive net income of P56.5 billion, a turnaround from the previous year’s net loss of P73 billion, attributed to its successful restructuring plan.
Its revenue grew by 6.2 percent to P58.7 billion last year from P55.26 billion in 2020, mainly driven by the increase in cargo revenues as air cargo has been a vital partner in delivering essential goods since the pandemic.
Bulk of the airline’s revenue came from its international operation at 83.8 percent and 16.2 percent was from its domestic operation.
For this year, PAL plans to expand its network, focus on digital innovation and pivot to be cargo driven airline for future growth and opportunity.
