Airlines In The Philippines II

[XWB_flyer]

I'm curious those PAL have plans to resume direct flights between MNL and LHR using the A350-900? Or will it depend on availability of either A350 and B777? Also when it comes to route pairs like LHR and YVR I don't think they need three aircraft like YYZ and JFK if PAL where to operate both routes daily, although this will probably for the long term future probably the middle of 2025 to early 2030s.

[Eurest]

The slot swap timings (2300 ETD & 2305 ETA) seem to indicate either that PR would overnight an aircraft for almost 24 hours or not fly it like S22 when they did a similar slot timing swaps with BA
Perhaps slot time swaps with UK gov't BA give PR a special slot waiver, where BA flying the PR owned slots, effectively fulfills the 64/36 rule for S22 and in return BA gets more prime time afternoon & evening slots

With only 2 A359 in the fleet, flying direct then keeping them @ LHR for 24hrs not making money seems like a huge waste of their lease fees

If PR doesn't fly LHR for W22, it's another opportunity wasted, as home heating bills for W22 are expected to be exorbitant.
Quite a few households are expected to travel instead to warmer climates, as it would be a fiscally responsible  move over paying gas heating bills made exorbitant over Europe because of Russian supply cuts.
Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if Dnata pulled MNL employees over to understaffed EU airports

[Arianespace]

PAL will file extension waiver next month, as they did in February for LHR flights. More to do with war in Ukraine, Overflight sanctions etc imposed by west.

As to the picture that paints a US$365 million words. Found it finally.

Eurest wrote

The slot swap timings (2300 ETD & 2305 ETA) seem to indicate either that PR would overnight an aircraft for almost 24 hours or not fly it like S22 when they did a similar slot timing swaps with BA
Perhaps slot time swaps with UK gov't BA give PR a special slot waiver, where BA flying the PR owned slots, effectively fulfills the 64/36 rule for S22 and in return BA gets more prime time afternoon & evening slots

Slot waivers. Flight and cabin crew return to MNL without disembarking in LHR last year and early this year prior to suspension due to overflight restrictions at Russian Airspace.

[XWB_flyer]

I could see the A35K eventually operate JFK and YYZ non-stop while the smaller A359 could be relegated to either open new routes or opening up secondary hubs. Rather then ordering the smaller B787-9 for them which I previously have commented. Although not gonna discount it being a possible replacement for the A330-300 or will it be the larger B787-10.

[Eurest]

Apparently, the airport ops guidelines for MNL are not strict A380 ops Mon 0200-0230, that or Her Majesty's Royal WhaleJet get's special treatment BA A380 post storage maintenance
The last BA A380 @LTP stayed there from 02.02-16.07

Both previously parked A333s RP-C8766 and RP-C8780 have been flying as well, but RP-C8771 is now parked
Previously was 6 flying and 3 parked, now its 7 flying and 2 parked

[XWB_flyer]

Eurest wrote

Both previously parked A333s RP-C8766 and RP-C8780 have been flying as well, but RP-C8771 is now parked
Previously was 6 flying and 3 parked, now its 7 flying and 2 parked

I wonder if 8771 is also slated to be returned to returned to its lessor or will it be stored on temporary period? And could it be the first of two A330-300 to received the new 359 seats configuration I'm curiuous on the seat map will it feature the same Business class seat as the Tri-class A330-300 and Economy will it received some changes like adding in-seat IFE?

[Evodesire]

I read that Airbus recently cancelled all remaining A350-1000 orders of Qatar Airways. In this case, will PR be able to get these planes sooner should they decide to order them in 2024?

[Eurest]

Airbus would offer the A35K deliveries to those on the line, like EY, CX & VA.
If no one wants an earlier delivery they would go external.
If a lessor like Avolon (who appeared on PR's C11 exit video w/ Airbus but has cancelled A350 orders for A339), offers to take deliveries, PR could then deal w/ Avolon to take placement.
To illustrate how quick lease placements can occur, Vistara just sealed a deal recently for 2x 789 placements from AerCap (recently acquired GECAS), with delivery in just a few weeks time
ALC might have 2 A35K's undelivered still unplaced, the only lessor with A35K's on order, quite a few A359's for lessors though

For RP-C8771, it may be on a HMV because of what looks like an engine test run here
She might be the one in the A380 hangar from 17.07.2022 and moved out before the Wed arrival of a BA A380 and waiting for China charters?
A B78J similar to VN's 367 pax B78J would be ideal 363 pax A333s replacements and would not give off an LCC look & feel the way a 9 abreast A330CEO or NEO would. They'd help cut CO2 emissions, have flight costs advantage, and B77W rated pilots only need around a weeks training.

FX adding 8 flights to CRK on the 76F north & south loop means an increase in PH manufacturing, and the demand for air freight is still increasing
Are the 77F flights to NA next to be increased?

[XWB_flyer]

Eurest wrote

A B78J similar to VN's 367 pax B78J would be ideal 363 pax A333s replacements and would not give off an LCC look & feel the way a 9 abreast A330CEO or NEO would. They'd help cut CO2 emissions, have flight costs advantage, and B77W rated pilots only need around a weeks training.

I've read from another fourm that unlike the FAA in the US
CAAP Hasn't yet approved a common type rating for the B777 and B787 and need a separate type rating for pilots unlike with the A350 which could be a small hurdle for any order of the B787 although its possible that PAL could lobby CAAP to give a common type rating for the B787 so they can transition pilots from the B777 to the B787 in the future?

[Evodesire]

My apologies but can you explain the lease placements? Can PAL still take in aircraft while on chapter 11 via lease placements?

[Eurest]

Common type rating decreases the training time for a pilot to be certified, so in countries that recognize the 787 as a 777 variant, a B777 certified pilot can gain 787 type certification in as little as 3 days
For aviation authorities that do not, the training period for is around a minimum of 7 days to get 787 certification depending oh which seat, or if they're cruise etc. for a 777 certified pilot
Their are a whole lot of variables, but most Pilots will often be type certified for the missions they'll be on roster for so that the carrier can easily substitute aircraft on those missions

PR has exited C11 but...
There are still obligations PR need to fulfill, like payment on issued IOUs as part of the recovery plan, and there will probably actions for a certain amount of time (up to '25 is the speculation as some debts such as advances from a Singapore based lessor would be need to be fulfilled) that PR may need court approval.
That said, it does not preclude PR from entering a deal with one of its indebted lessors to attain an aircraft placement to replace another leased aircraft, ensuring a lessor can make even more money from PR.
But would a lessor want to place an aircraft with PR considering it just went into C11?
So PR would want to ensure its current on lessor payments to insure a highly positive sentiment amongst its' creditors for the foreseeable future

A hypothetical scenario would be:
It's 2023 and Lessor A has A333s leased to PR
Same lessor has a new opportunity to place the A333s leased w/ PR to another customer
Lessor A knows PR is considering new gen technology jets to fulfill IATA carbon emission reduction goals
Lessor A has ordered from Boeing 3 787's arriving in 2024 it has not yet placed w/ any carrier because they were set to arrive in '23 but were delayed by a year because FAA & CoViD
Lessor A offers PR for early termination of A333 leases in exchange for agreeing to lease B787's
Lessor A now has secured income for the next 10 years from its 787s and 6 years from its A333s, when before it only had secured potential income from the A333s for 3 more years.
PR now operates 3 355 pax B78J in 20C 35W 300Y configuration to compete with 5Js A339 on ME or OZ routes
Again, a hypothetical scenario wherein PR gets a lessor placement

[Arianespace]

Recalling pre-terminated fleet is also lease placement.

787 has no type rating in the PH because no airline operate it. Assuming PAL would do so hypothetically, its easy for CAAP to integrate ICAO training standards, not necessarily FAA ones. Because the former is the world standard, while the latter is valid only in America. Hate to argue with the French but they are right.

[XWB_flyer]

Intresting info about PAL fleet and the B787 Type Rating will implemented "If" they decided to get the Dreamliner as replacement for the A330-300 its also possible they will acquire more Neo in the future to replace the older aircraft type in there fleet. If PAL decided to acquire the A330-900neo we could possibly see them have two or even three configurations to meet the market demand or a single configuration if they decided to jet just 10 while foucsing on more long-haul aircraft like the A350XWB both 359 and 35K! Although I leave the possibility for the B787 open just in case.

[Eurest]

Ran into flight crew that did CRK recently, was told only 1 D7 A333 remains at T1 remote stand beside 2 whitetail A330s.
They did see a whitetail A330 before near SIAEP when there were 2 PR liveried A333s on the T1 remote stand next to the D7 A333
PM during CRK departure claims seeing 1 PR liveried A333 doing what seems like a taxi test.

2-CPRO was ferried from Shannon to Garons last 29.07, might be positioning for getting worked on @ Sabena Technics

I think more A359s instead of A339s are more likely for PR, with the payload advantage now even more important with air freight demand and margins increasing.
The A359 is fairly similarly sized to the A339 but the price difference is justified w/ the longer range and better payload.
Just look at SQ's fleet of 61 A359s being the backbone of their fleet, that's even more than when the B744 Megatop was SQ's iconic jet.

[XWB_flyer]

Eurest wrote

I think more A359s instead of A339s are more likely for PR, with the payload advantage now even more important with air freight demand and margins increasing.
The A359 is fairly similarly sized to the A339 but the price difference is justified w/ the longer range and better payload.
Just look at SQ's fleet of 61 A359s being the backbone of their fleet, that's even more than when the B744 Megatop was SQ's iconic jet.

From another fourm I actually did consider a Regional variant of the A350-900 with the following MTOW 217, 235, 240,
 250, 255, 260, 268, 272, 275, 277, 278 and 280 tonnes. A regional varaint will likely be in the lower-end while the current A359 are in the higher-end. I'd imagine they will in a two-class configuration with only Business and Economy similar to SQ with three variant of the A350-900. For PAL it will probably just two one for regional and middle east with 339-350 seats while the long-haul configuration will feature a three class configuration with between 300-310 seats and used in North America, London and possibly Australia and New Zealand as part of the Kangaroo route.

[Edit]  With that said I still think PAL will still need a middle aircraft between the A321 and A350. While reducing the number of types increases efficiency and reduces training cost since both A330 and A350 have a common type rating I don't think it will be that expensive to introduce the A330neo unlike the Dreamliner. Although will just have to wait and see in due time!

[Arianespace]

As a matter of fact, the A359 can be a regional, medium, long haul, or very long haul aircraft. The question really is what the airline intends to do with it as an airliner.

[Eurest]

For a larger carrier, it may be the case they would need a dedicated regional widebody, but for PR w/c now only has afaik around 17 widebodies (8xB77W, 2xA359 & 7xA333) flying, it may be advantageous to go for one of the higher WVs so it gains flexibility as the best option for where ever PR needs it to fly.

When I asked about PR's configuration for the B77W, it was pointed out to me that the ability to carry up to 28t of cargo in addition to carrying 42Jpax & 3x23kgs and 328Y pax & 2x23kgs of luggage was the sweet spot.
For comparison, 2 other Asian carriers B77W rated for the same range as PR are only rated for 18T(has a few F & carries more than 100 seats less) & 22 tons(F as well but absolute minimal, but carries less Y pax equal typical football/soccer squad)
PR's B77W seems to have chosen efficiency in volume in a minimalistic approach to aircraft build, like a cheeseburger that doesn't have a lot of toppings, but it's bun, patty & cheese are crave-worthy.

So post-CoViD or the airline industry's great accelerator, that payload capability aside from Y pax count seems to be even more imp't for PR
Aside from China, intra-Asia air cargo demand from JPY, KOR, SIN & TH, MY, VN have seen a huge spike in demand for PH exports like Semiconductors, wiring harnesses/looms, actuators, etc as manufacturers turn to the skies to better manage supply constraints we see all over the world now
The A359 seems to have THAT mix of size, capability, economics & price, that makes it iconic the way the B77W, B744, B742 & B741 were globally popular widebody jets

[XWB_flyer]

Could it be this one ?
https://aircraft.airbus.com/en/switch-weight-variant

Instead of having multiple weight variant PAL could opt for MWV for there future A350-900 or using older frames. With regards to configuration I still think there is a possibility for two configuration when it comes to pax. A two-class version with 339 to 348 seats for regional and middle east routes and a three-class version for Australia, New Zeland, Europe and North America with 295 to 316 seats depending on demand. As for layout I think its best to keep facilities such as crew rest and galley number so they can be converted to long-haulers similar to what Singapore is doing with there A359. Although there is also the possibility they will just have one configuration for efficency.

[Eurest]

Speaking of PR A350s, a PR119 skipped YVR for a 15:48 YYZ-MNL and a PR127 also "diverted" to MNL for a 16:11 JFK-MNL sector. Any ideas as to why? The succeeding PR119 did the YVR T-stop
BTW, a different source is saying incorporating the JAMCO ICE rear galley will easily add the 15 seats in Y.
Since these come with 2 lavs as well, the 2 lavs after L2&R2 doors will be deleted.
Premium Eco's 24 seats neatly divided into 3 rows will into an H of 4, 8, 8 then 4
21A 21C                          21H 21K
22A 22C  22D 22E 22F 22G  22H 22K
23A 23C  23D 23E 23F 23G  23H 23K
24A 24C         Divider         24H 24K
31A31B31C   31D31E31G   31H31J31K


My idea of a high density A359 as the 363pax A333 replacement would be close to JL's 391 pax here
You'd probably need more lavatories so much fewer than 323Y, XWB-84's instead of 75s and 276-283T WV so you can carry quite a few tons of belly cargo
Perhaps a C22 as 2-2-2 50" pitch hi-density Mabuhay class,
W36 as 2-4-2 38" pitch premium eco (What does PR call their W),
and Y301-313 Fiesta class as 3-3-3 for a 359-371pax A359
Should easily do 10-11 hour sectors and still carry a haelthy payload to compete against the 5J 459 A339 and EY 404 A35K
Also, the same source says a 400 seater A35K is doable 9 abreast with the A340-600 style rear lower lavatory

[XWB_flyer]

Its been rumored since prior to Farnborough although it seem  a contract signing is imminent. Could PAL and lessor have a similar planned in the next two years?

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/malaysia-airlines-acquire-20-airbus-a330neos-sources-2022-08-10/