It was in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdowns, that Philippine Airlines launched several repatriation flights to countries and cities that the airline does not normally serve. Male (Maldives), Barbados, and Milan, Italy are just a few examples. One of their record-breaking flights, from Manila to Miami, Florida, was only done during that time period and is considered the longest non-stop flight by PAL ever.
This was a special flight to repatriate Filipino seafarers from the Royal Caribbean cruise line.
PAL has clearly demonstrated the capabilities of a Boeing 777-300ER in this flight by flying it non-stop from Manila to Miami, the longest non-stop flight ever recorded by PAL. The flight took approximately 16 hours and 20 minutes.
PAL does not fly to Miami on a regular basis. It’s longest scheduled commercial non-stop flight is PR126 from Manila to New York utilizing an Airbus A350-900.
Flight PR5112 from Manila to Miami had favorable tail winds and was almost completely empty because it was a repatriation flight returning Filipino seafarers from Miami. The return flight, however, will be full of passengers, and the plane will make a technical stop in Los Angeles LAX before flying back to Manila.
Manila to Miami non-stop is beyond the 777-300ER’s average range
The great circle distance between Manila and Miami is approximately 9,314 miles. The Boeing 777-300ER has an average range of 7,370 miles. So, how did this happen? Because this was a repositioning flight, the plane was nearly empty. At the same time, tail winds aided the flight, allowing it to travel the distance! The return flight to Manila, however, will be different because the Boeing jet will already be carrying passengers and will be flying westward. As a result, the plane had to make a technical stop in Los Angeles.
While the PAL flight from Manila to Miami was a repositioning flight for its journey from Miami to Manila with a stopover at LAX, it also demonstrated the airline’s ability to fly anywhere nonstop given its current fleet of ultra-long haul aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900.
I just hope that PAL receives more modern long-haul and wide-body aircraft like the A350 and A330neo. I also hope that they begin flying between Manila and more European destinations, particularly once the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan opens. Alternatively, PAL could establish additional routes to the US mainland, such as Chicago, Seattle, and Atlanta, where Manila serves as a major transit hub for flights from Asia to the US.
In 2014, PAL announced plans to launch flights to London, Frankfurt, and Milan, all of which have a sizable Filipino population. Only London, however, became a reality.
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