As air traffic recovers from the epidemic, Philippine Airlines said it will acquire nine Airbus A350-1000 wide-body aircraft to increase its fleet and route network.
The new aircraft will be used on nonstop flights from Manila to North America, which includes the east coast of both the United States and Canada.
Philippine Airlines was nearing a contract to buy 10 Airbus aircraft, the most recent indication of a rebound in the wide-body jet market.
As per airline, the first of the nine A350-1000s will be delivered by the fourth quarter of 2025, with deliveries continuing until 2027.
For future development to new long-haul destinations, the Philippine flag carrier also obtained the right to purchase three additional A350-1000 aircraft, it was noted.
The memorandum that Philippine Airlines signed is not yet a binding agreement, and it may take weeks or months to iron out the specifics of the contract.
Currently, the airline uses a variety of Airbus aircraft, notably the A350 for lengthy transcontinental flights and A330-300s on flights to the Middle East, Australia, and several locations in Asia.
Additionally, it has a fleet of single-aisle A320 and A321 aircraft on its domestic and regional network out of the Philippine capital of Manila and Cebu in the centre of the country.
Philippine Airlines reorganised its finances after being severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US in September 2021. In January 2022, it finished the process, which required a $2 billion reduction in borrowings and the return of 22 of its 92 aircraft.