TWO Boeing 777 jets will be delivered to the Philippine Airlines (PAL) before yearend for use in three of its more profitable regional routes – Hong Kong, Narita and Australia.
The two were originally for the airline’s bread-and-butter Manila to North America services but will now have to be redeployed due to the downgrading of the country’s aviation industry by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The downgrade bars PAL from expanding its US services.
"We have no choice but to continue with our refleeting programs despite our current labor woes," PAL international cargo sales manager Jerry Calaluan told PortCalls.
PAL is in the middle of a labor dispute with its ground crew who are against the airline’s outsourcing plans. The latter will mean the sacking of 2,600 employees. In addition, PAL’s flight crew is up in arms over alleged unfair labor practices, including the mandatory 40-year retirement age for cabin crew.
