[POLL] The future fleet of PAL and PALexpress

The fact that Philippine Airlines is currently expanding is a strong indication that they will require new planes. Add to it the fact that times have changed and that newer, more efficient planes are required to survive. Which planes would you want to see in the future PAL and PALexpress fleet if you had the chance to vote?

To clarify, PAL and PALexpress are two separate organizations that operate under the same name, Philippine Airlines. However, the majority of PAL’s flights are international, with just a few local flights to Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Bacolod, and Puerto Princesa. PALexpress, on the other hand, operates all domestic flights as well as inter-island routes.

PAL flies both widebody and narrowbody aircraft, including the B777-300ER, Airbus A350-900, A330-300, A321neo, and A321ceo. PALexpress flies narrowbody jets as well as turboprops, including the A321ceo, A320-200, and the DeHavilland Canada DHC Dash 8-400.

The current fleet

Below is the current fleet of both PAL and PALexpress. This includes some of their outstanding orders/

PAL

• 10x Boeing 777-300ER
• 2x Airbus A350-900
• 9x A330-300
• 8x A321neo (13 more on order)
• 17x A321ceo

PALexpress

• 4x A321ceo
• 13x A320-200
• 10x DeHavilland Canada DHC Dash 8-400

The future fleet of PAL and PALexpress

Change is inevitable and as global airlines continue to refleet in order to adapt to the new aviation environment following the pandemic, they will need to significantly modernize their fleet. Refleeting will help PAL to operate more effectively and compete with full-service Asian carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.

In this case, given a chance for you to voice out your choice of aircraft for the future fleet of PAL and PALexpress, what planes would you want to see? Take the following also into consideration:

• Present and upcoming destinations
• Philippine market both international and domestic
• Present fleet
• Planes available in the market
• Competition, both full service and low cost carriers
• Future direction of PAL to operate a more efficient fleet

I no longer included additional aircraft brands such as Embraer because it is already nearly impossible for PAL and PALexpress to run a fourth brand.

Choose up to six kinds of aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus in the poll below. Consider fleet needs such as wide-body aircraft for long flights, medium-haul and regional aircraft, and narrow-body aircraft for regional and domestic flights.

Just a note. This is just a poll, and has no bearing on PAL’s choice of aircraft in the future. To know how airlines choose their fleet, please do read this.