Philippine Airlines has selected Airbus to perform cabin modifications for 15 aircraft and expand the material services programme for the carrier’s Airbus fleet. The cabin modification agreement covers 11 A320s, two A330-300s and two A350-900s.
From the Singapore Airshow on Thursday (February 17, 2022), Airbus announced that Philippine Airlines (PAL) has selected the company to perform cabin modifications for 15 aircraft including 11 A320s, two A330-300s, and two A350-900s. The carrier will also expand the material services program for their Airbus fleet. When completed, PAL’s A320s will have 24 extra seats, expanding capacity to 180, in a configuration suitable for short haul inter-island domestic routes. The two A330s will gain 50 seats, expanding capacity to 359 for key high-density regional routes, while the A350s will gain 18 seats for a total of 313, while still preserving the roomy cabin layout that PAL’s Business Class and Economy Class guests enjoy on long haul routes.
Philippine Airlines has contracted with Airbus to provide the relevant Service Bulletins and kits required to perform the cabin modification program.
In Thursday’s announcment, Philippine Airlines’ Chief Financial Officer, Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez, said,
“Philippine Airlines believes that, as we exit the pandemic, our fleet restructuring strategy helps us to better adapt to changing market situations and ensure that we are well-positioned for recovery. Our aircraft deployment decisions and related technical support arrangements are tailored for a restructured network that suits a vastly different global environment.”
PAL’s Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management, Alvin Kendrich Limqueco, added, “We chose Airbus with the firm expectation that PAL will receive high quality Service Bulletins and timely updates to technical documentation, along with the highly regarded extensive engineering support we expect from a leading aircraft manufacturer.”
Additionally, PAL is extending their Flight Hour Services (FHS) material programme with Airbus to cover more of their Airbus fleet, with guaranteed parts availability to secure the operational reliability of the carrier’s fleet. The program previously covered two A350s, but has now been expanded to 37 more aircraft, including 29 A321 Family (including eight A321neos) and eight A330ceos. Under the FHS program, Airbus will provide components standard exchange, component repairs, component reliability and engineering services, along with onsite stock at PAL’s main base in Manila.
Source: Airbus