Airlines In The Philippines III

[Evodesire]

Poor PAL, so left behind not only by its APAC counterparts, but also by Cebu Pacific as well.

[filipinoavgeek]

Is the Air India crash going to affect the launch of their Manila services, or it won't be a concern?

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

Depends, but i personally don't see a major dent.

[JNC03]

PAL A35K delivery might be earlier and now scheduled in November

[JNC03]

Scoot will take over some of the routes run by Jetstar Asia, which announced this week that it would close, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson said.

Scoot will launch new flights from Singapore to Japan's Okinawa and Labuan Bajo in Indonesia, the spokesperson said. Both routes were exclusively operated by Jetstar Asia.

Singapore Airlines will also ramp up flights to other affected routes, including ones from Singapore to Manila, Colombo and Jakarta. Full flight schedules will be made public in due course, the spokesperson said.

Singapore Airlines previously said that it had set up channels for Jetstar Asia staff to expedite applications for jobs within the airline group.

[filipinoavgeek]

Interestingly, I also saw a report that said that several of Scoot's SIN-MNL flights moving forward are gonna be on the 787s now. Yes, we do sometimes get Scoot's 787, but those are mostly during peak season. What I'm not sure if they're talking about is if it's going to be a permanent thing now (i.e. not just during peak season anymore), or if it's just acknowledging the 787s.

[JNC03]

Airbus is sold out to 2031 on the A350, says Julien Puyou, head of widebody programs at the manufacturer.

To address strong demand, Airbus is ramping up production of the aircraft to 12 per month in 2028.

Puyou says it is too early to consider going beyond that rate, despite strong customer interest.


www.aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/airbus-sees-new-a350-variant-flight-trials-coming-2026

[Arianespace]

I thought this information was false alarm when Airbus offered PAL a 357t variant of the A339 to sway it from Boeing with the same 357t B789.

Now, it seems the offer were true after all. Alams na

Airbus is planning to give its A330neo widebody aircraft series a major boost. The European plane maker has announced plans to increase the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of both the A330-900 and A330-800 variants. This will provide airlines with increased range, payload, and flexibility.

Revealed at a recent industry event, the upgrade is expected to roll out by mid-2026. The A330-900, the more popular of the two variants, will see the MTOW increase from 251 to 257 tons. That will be approximately six tons higher than the earlier maximum takeoff weight.

That six-ton bump may sound modest on paper, but in practice, it means the aircraft can fly farther or carry more passengers and cargo, without compromise.

With the MTOW upgrade, Airbus is clearly responding to airline feedback. Carriers are looking for aircraft that can do more: operate ultra-long-haul flights, handle freight-heavy missions, or serve hot-and-high airports where takeoff performance is a challenge.

https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/06/15/airbus-plans-new-longer-variant-of-a330neo/

Airbus just erased the 5t payload difference.

[filipinoavgeek]

This would probably be a boon to Malaysia Airlines, which has ordered A330s and wants to use them on their European routes. Right now, their A330neos can barely make it, and they don't have enough A350s to cover the difference. I'm not sure if PAL would want the A330neos, or if the improved versions would be enough to serve North America and Europe, but I can see them using them on their existing services if they ever decide to order them.

[Arianespace]

This improvement is not retroactive to older frames.

But speaking during a briefing in Toulouse on 11 June, Airbus head of overall aircraft design Vincent Lebas said that a 253t variant is planned for 2028.

It will also feature a maximum zero-fuel weight of 183t.
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-to-enhance-a330neo-capability-with-further-take-off-weight-increase/163353.article

That means, the 4th generation A333 should be available 2028 onwards. This is not the same generation as CEB A339 had.

And like what I just said, Airbus just removed the 5t payload difference of the B789 with the 4th generation A333 which was offered to PAL 2 years ago, when the published MTOW was just 251t.

And some more details

The program is part of Airbus’ efforts to keep the A330neo fresh after it has started to gain some commercial momentum. Airbus is now sold out to 2028 with the aircraft, says Julien Puyou, who heads the manufacturer's widebody programs.

In some cases, it could add an ability to take off with 6.9 tons more payload, with the average benefit around 2.6 tons—or the equivalent of about 20 passengers.

https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/airbus-working-increase-a330neo-mtow

[JNC03]

They have the same MTOW, now the question is the configuration and its range

Both manufacturer presented to PAL with its offers and ideal configuration. The A330neo is good on  Middle East and medium haul flights across Asia and Australia, but how about transpacific flights?

[Arianespace]

The 251t variant is already a capable plane for transpac flight particularly to LAX as it has 7200 range. The problem is the payload with which PAL would carry going back to MNL as 5t is a lot of payload difference for a 6500nm route.

With the latest iteration (4th generation A330) that payload difference would be gone. Meaning, what the B789 can carry now the A339 would be capable of doing similarly beginning 2028. That is huge.

it could add an ability to take off with 6.9 tons more payload, with the average benefit around 2.6 tons—or the equivalent of about 20 passengers.

Payload easily bumps to 40t from existing 35t @251t mtow. Huge. So airlines either chooses 20 passengers more or higher payload capacity for long haul. I bet PAL would do the latter.
 

[Solblanc]

Arianespace wrote

The 251t variant is already a capable plane for transpac flight particularly to LAX as it has 7200 range. The problem is the payload with which PAL would carry going back to MNL as 5t is a lot of payload difference for a 6500nm route.

With the latest iteration (4th generation A330) that payload difference would be gone. Meaning, what the B789 can carry now the A339 would be capable of doing similarly beginning 2028. That is huge.

it could add an ability to take off with 6.9 tons more payload, with the average benefit around 2.6 tons—or the equivalent of about 20 passengers.

Payload easily bumps to 40t from existing 35t @251t mtow. Huge. So airlines either chooses 20 passengers more or higher payload capacity for long haul. I bet PAL would do the latter.
 

The 789, if in a thin config, can still do something that the A339 can’t, which is US east coast. But the A359 and A35K can already do that.

It really will now boil down to availability and price.

I’m told that Richard Nuttall is still getting to know PAL so this may not be the year of new orders. But Airbus might be able to tempt PAL with even a small order of 5-10 A339 frames on a lease just to get their foot in the door. Knowing how conservative PAL is, that small order could tide them over in the medium term as well as evaporate their need for 787s

[Evodesire]

Solblanc wrote

Arianespace wrote

The 251t variant is already a capable plane for transpac flight particularly to LAX as it has 7200 range. The problem is the payload with which PAL would carry going back to MNL as 5t is a lot of payload difference for a 6500nm route.

With the latest iteration (4th generation A330) that payload difference would be gone. Meaning, what the B789 can carry now the A339 would be capable of doing similarly beginning 2028. That is huge.

it could add an ability to take off with 6.9 tons more payload, with the average benefit around 2.6 tons—or the equivalent of about 20 passengers.

Payload easily bumps to 40t from existing 35t @251t mtow. Huge. So airlines either chooses 20 passengers more or higher payload capacity for long haul. I bet PAL would do the latter.
 

The 789, if in a thin config, can still do something that the A339 can’t, which is US east coast. But the A359 and A35K can already do that.

It really will now boil down to availability and price.

I’m told that Richard Nuttall is still getting to know PAL so this may not be the year of new orders. But Airbus might be able to tempt PAL with even a small order of 5-10 A339 frames on a lease just to get their foot in the door. Knowing how conservative PAL is, that small order could tide them over in the medium term as well as evaporate their need for 787s

However, I doubt PAL will let go of Boeing, especially knowing that aircraft orders is also a political game. PAL has ruled out the 777X as the A35K will already be their flagship jet. 737s are out too, now leaving the 787. Its a question of which variant/s they will go for. It's boiling down to 787-10 vs A330neo, 787-9 vs A350-900.

[JNC03]

Two A359s are not enough

They can use 789s on off days of travel to JFK while A359s can go back to their purpose which is London

A350s are also sold out until 2030s

789 will be the option for mid-long haul flights due to its versatility for different times in a year while they can buy A339 for middle east specially the increased MTOW can carry a lot of OFWs and balikbayan boxes/cargo.

[airline_builder]

There is news that PAL A35K will be delivered earlier than projected - seem everything is kept under strict wrap - no sneak pictures from both PAL or Airbus as of press time.

Also, given its proximity date of delivery, not a glimpse of its configuration and interiors. It may mean two things - a Big Salvo of a milestone or exactly the same as the A359s and densified. Meaning expectations are managed avoiding backlash

On another note. No update on the 321ceos cabin upgrade - it is the same recycled news on the pride of the  9 A35K and A321Ns coming in. (Recycling it for the Nth time)

[JNC03]

1 month earlier now scheduled on november

Maybe they will reveal the A321ceo cabin and the A35K at the same time so the attention will not focus on the A35K if the cabin is not that great or new compared to the A359

[Arianespace]

airline_builder wrote

Also, given its proximity date of delivery, not a glimpse of its configuration and interiors. It may mean two things - a Big Salvo of a milestone or exactly the same as the A359s and densified. Meaning expectations are managed avoiding backlash

On another note. No update on the 321ceos cabin upgrade - it is the same recycled news on the pride of the  9 A35K and A321Ns coming in. (Recycling it for the Nth time)

There is also no glimpses of re-configuration, both to the A333 or the A359, because there was none made yet.  What was completed is the reconfiguration of the A320 from bi-class to mono class. The upgrade of the A321 starts with the arrival of the A321neo. All should start next year by all indications. So you are correct, its all recycled news.

[Darkknight85]

They need to replace the old A320 in the fleet.

[JNC03]