PAL Considering Boeing, Airbus Orders

Airbus and Boeing are competing for contracts to supply Philippine Airlines with eight wide-body, twin-engine aircraft, PAL's president said.

The acquisition or lease of Boeing 787 Dreamliner or Airbus A350 XWB aircraft is a result of a strategic review after Philippines' fourth richest man Lucio Tan took over the carrier last year.

"The Dreamliner and XWB will be contributing to savings in fuel, savings in maintenance and will allow us to improve our product because we can fly non-stop to more destinations," PAL President Jaime Bautista told reporters.

He said an evaluation will be completed this year and delivery of the aircraft could be in 2017-2018.

PAL's six A340s currently serve the Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, New York and Vancouver routes. It also flies Boeing 777s on its long-haul routes, having retired its last Boeing 747 in September last year.

As of end-2014, PAL had 49 aircraft, 43 of which are Airbus planes and six Boeing.

The Philippine carrier's subsidiary PAL Express is also considering buying or leasing nine Q300 or Q400 Bombardier turboprops to replace older similar models in its fleet.

PAL will decide next year on the new Bombardier aircraft, which will serve tourist destinations such as Boracay in the central Philippines and the northern province of Batanes that are accessible through small island airports, Bautista said.