Philippine Airlines has a long history with narrow-body jet aircraft in its fleet. In fact, its first narrowbody or single aisle aircraft, the Douglas DC-8, was also the airline’s first jet aircraft. It is now time to look back on the evolution of narrow-body or single aisle jet aircraft that have joined the PAL fleet from the beginning to the present.
To be clear, I am only referring to narrowbody jet aircraft, not turboprops or propeller planes. When I say “narrow-body,” I am referring to single aisle aircraft rather than dual aisle aircraft like the B747 and A300.
Douglas DC-8
PAL entered the jet age with the Douglas DC-8 series 50 in June 20, 1962. The very first DC-8 of the airline was christened “Sampaguita” and this allowed PAL to fly passengers faster and more comfortable. It also flew transpacific flights. The DC-8-50 were powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B which gives the aircraft a range of 10,843 km.
In 1972, PAL added a longer type of DC-8 called the DC-8-63 otherwise known as “the flying pencil”. This aircraft was longer than the DC-8-50 by 11.7 meters. The DC-8-63 were powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-7 engines giving the aircraft a range of 7,400 km.
All-in-all, PAL had a total of 8 DC-8s in which were being retired in 1979. The last PAL DC-8 flight was in 1981.
It is safe to say that the first narrow-body plane of PAL is the DC-8.
British Aerospace BAC One-Eleven
Following the DC-8s, PAL wanted to bring domestic travel into the jet age too. In 1966, PAL acquired the BAC One-Eleven series 400 and introduced it for domestic flights. PAL operated two variants of the One-Eleven, the series 400 and the 500.
The One-Eleven 400 brought jet services to major domestic destinations such as Cebu, Davao, and Bacolod. It provided passengers comfort and speed. The aircraft was also used for international regional flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). The One-Eleven 400 was powered by Rolls Royce Sprey Mk 511 giving the aircraft a thrust of 11400 lbf and a rage of 2,040 km. PAL had a total of 4 One-Eleven 400 until they were replaced by the series 500.
In 1971, PAL purchased a much larger version of the One-Eleven in order to increase domestic capacity. The BAC One-Eleven series 500 was 4.22 meters longer and served as the mainstay of the PAL domestic network until 1989, when it was replaced by the Boeing 737-300. PAL had a total of 11 One-Eleven 500s in its fleet. I was fortunate to be able to fly in one from Manila to Legaspi, which you can read about here.
The series 500 were powered by Rolls Royce Sprey Mk 512-14DW turbofans which gave the aircraft a range of 2,744 km.
Boeing 727
PAL placed orders for the Airbus A300B4 in 1979, but the aircraft was not readily available. To immediately replace the DC-8s, PAL required an interim aircraft, which came in the form of two leased Boeing 727-200s. This trijet served on the first PAL flights to Beijing and Guangzhou. During this period, the 727 was a popular aircraft due to its higher capacity and take-off characteristics.
PAL purchased two B727-100s in 1981 to replace the leased aircraft, and all B727s were retired in 1984.
The PAL 727s had a unique livery that I am still unsure of. They were also the loudest planes in the PAL fleet, louder even than the One-Eleven.
Boeing 727 is a narrow-body airliner that was designed and manufactured by the company. Following the introduction of the heavy 707 quad-jet in 1958, the manufacturer addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airports. Three Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines propelled the 727. The series 100 had a range of 4,170 kilometers, while the series 200 had a range of 3,500 kilometers.
Boeing 737
In order to strengthen the airline’s domestic routes, PAL began replacing the BAC One-Elevens with the more efficient and newer Boeing 737-300s in 1989. The 737 was the best-selling aircraft, and the Series 300 included all of the advanced technologies found in the 757 and 767. The 737s were used not only on PAL’s domestic network, but also on regional flights such as those to Hong Kong.
PAL also leased three B737-400s from Pegasus Aviation in addition to the 737-300s. A longer version of the 737-300 was required to supplement domestic and regional operations.
Overall, PAL operated a total of 21 Boeing 737s, including 17 B737-300s and three B737-400s. In 2012, RP-C4007 was the last 737 to leave the PAL fleet. The Airbus A320 eventually replaced all Boeing 737s.
Airbus A320
PAL placed an order for 33 Airbus aircraft, including the A340, A330, and A320, in 1997. When compared to the classic 737, the A320 was far superior. It was the first narrow-body aircraft to use a fly-by-wire system, and it can carry more passengers than the B737-300. It is also propelled by CFM56 turbofan engines.
However, in 2005, PAL needed to replace all of the remaining 737s in the fleet and ordered more A320s. Aside from the remaining 737s, this second wave of orders also replaced the earlier A320s in the fleet. PAL contracted for up to 20 brand-new A320s, including nine firm orders, six leased, and options.
On December 6, 2005, PAL agreed to purchase and lease up to 18 A320s from Airbus and GECAS. In addition, PAL leased four A319 “Baby Bus” planes. The first A319s were delivered in 2006. These were the first planes to provide AVOD, or Audio-Video On Demand, as an in-flight entertainment system in business class.
PAL had one of the world’s youngest fleets in 2008, with brand new A320s flying both domestic and regional routes. The Airbus A320 family has flown for PAL since then and continues to do so today.
Airbus A321
PAL placed an order for 44 A321 jets in 2013, initially 24 A321ceo (Current Engine Option) and 10 A321neo (New Engine Option). This order was later modified to include 21 A321neos in addition to the remaining 24 A321ceos in the PAL fleet.
These are now the current narrow-body planes of PAL.
According to Airfleets.net, PAL currently operates 14 A321ceos and 7 A321neos. PAL has 13 more A321neos scheduled for delivery in the coming years.
The A321-231, also known as the “CEO,” has 169 economy class seats, 18 economy plus or “comfort class seats,” and 12 business class seats. Because these aircraft are primarily used for domestic and some regional routes, they do not have seat-back IFEs. These aircraft have a range of 5,930 km thanks to IAE V2500 turbofan engines.
The NEO, or “New Engine Option,” is the A321’s more recent model. The engine is the primary distinction between the CEO and the NEO. The former has either a CFM56 or an IAE V2500 engine, whereas the NEO has a more efficient Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engine. However, all brand new Airbus A321s sold today are NEO versions.
PAL employs two types of A321neos: “LR” or Long Range and “SR” or Short Range. The LR has fewer seats than the SR and a center fuel tank, allowing PAL to use the A321neo LR for flights to Australia. The SR, on the other hand, has a larger seating capacity and is designed for domestic and regional flights.
The PAL A321neo LRs also have 12 full-flat business class seats and 156 economy class seats. Seat-back IFEs and WIFI are available in both the LR and SR cabin seats.
The A321neo is, indeed, the future of the PAL narrow-body fleet. They are very efficient, which benefits the airline’s bottom line.
I look forward to see more A321neos in the narrow-body fleet of PAL in the years to come.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
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