From June, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will mount direct flights from Tagbilaran, Bohol, to Clark in Pampanga and to Incheon, South Korea, as part of the flag carrier’s continuing route expansion.
PAL’s direct Tagbilaran-Incheon and Tagbilaran-Clark flights allow travelers to reach their destination conveniently with no stopover in Manila, the flag carrier said in a statement.
Tagbilaran will become the sixth local city to be linked to an international destination when PAL mounts a chartered service to Incheon starting on June 22. PAL currently operates international flights out of Manila, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo, and Puerto Princesa. The new service to Incheon departs daily with a six-hour travel.
The daily Tagbilaran-Clark and Clark-Tagbilaran flights, which start on June 23, will provide tourists with direct access to Central Luzon and Central Visayas without them having to endure Metro Manila’s traffic.
In another development, PAL and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) service provider SR Technics recently inked a 12-year integrated component services agreement covering 45 Airbus A321s and 15 A330-300s. The deal includes maintenance, component pooling, and consignment of the main base kit, ensuring flexible access to spare parts.
SR Technics’ center for component maintenance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which currently serves over 460 aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, will manage the services.
“Safety remains the cornerstone of our operations. As such, we put premium [on] cultivating relationships with MRO experts to help ensure the reliability of our fleet,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.
SR Technics chief executive officer Jeremy Remacha, for his part, said: “We are delighted to contribute to the success of Philippine Airlines, extending our partnership for another 12 years. SR Technics has been expanding its presence in Asia over the past few years, and we are committed to further develop our services in this fast-developing market.”
PAL and SR Technics also signed a five-year engine maintenance contract to support the airline’s entire fleet of CFM56-5C engines. Under the agreement, PAL will utilize Beyond.Fleet.Services, a product suite of SR Technics which extends the life of maturing fleets and reduces day-to-day operating costs for engine, airframe, and component maintenance.
