Airlines In The Philippines IV

[Arianespace]

filipinoavgeek wrote

I always wondered why the MD-80 never really caught on here, or why Cebu Pacific went with old DC-9s back in the day instead of (then) newer MD-80s.

First question, we did have an MD-80 operator but support services were far in between because it was let from FAT, a Taiwan based carrier. Meanwhile, DC-9 was bought cheap by 5J from Garuda that came with support services from Douglas. Second, availability of MD-80 were quite limited not because of the airline but because of the merger between Douglas and Boeing.

[Bluejay]

she’s been registered here in the philippines as RP-C2776 last month and the operator remains unknown, i wonder if she’ll be ferried here.

[Bluejay]

ex RP-C8763 now registered as N7057K and will be converted into freighter.

[Solblanc]

Bluejay wrote

ex RP-C8763 now registered as N7057K and will be converted into freighter.

I’m surprised they let go of a 330, as it still has lower operating costs than a 777.

Is the refurbishment plan still going to go ahead?

[seven13]

I guess PR is going to for flexibility. The 777 can cover what the A330 can do but not the other way around.

It can also offer more premium(JCL/BCL) seats than the A330.

[Arianespace]

Solblanc wrote

Is the refurbishment plan still going to go ahead?

Going ahead to some and cancellation on some. The middle east war really screwed up their plan.

[filipinoavgeek]

Arianespace wrote

Solblanc wrote

Is the refurbishment plan still going to go ahead?

Going ahead to some and cancellation on some. The middle east war really screwed up their plan.

I guess this means they aren't returning to AKL anytime soon since they'd really need extra frames to serve it. They could have probably just redeployed those to other routes instead. Are they only returning the high-density frames, or even the "premium" A330s are also going?

[JNC03]

Refurb 77Ws > refurb A330s

The airline should focus on what matters
77Ws, A35Ks and A321s

[ewh1]

Since Oren, who started MNLFlights, left the country for New Zealand, A new livestream planespotting channel for MNL has appeared and has been shared by him, MNLSpot. They seem to still be getting set up, but I hope the quality increases with time and new subs.

https://www.youtube.com/@mnlspot

[Arianespace]

filipinoavgeek wrote

Arianespace wrote

Solblanc wrote

Is the refurbishment plan still going to go ahead?

Going ahead to some and cancellation on some. The middle east war really screwed up their plan.

I guess this means they aren't returning to AKL anytime soon since they'd really need extra frames to serve it. They could have probably just redeployed those to other routes instead. Are they only returning the high-density frames, or even the "premium" A330s are also going?

I guess not for a different reason. The high density 368 seater 6x were meant for the middle east market, not the premium markets served by 309 seater 8x. Their lease is expiring and they have nowhere else to go since 7w is expanding in their intended market.

If you think about it, they are experiencing overcapacity, causing non-renewal of 63, which is actually the right time for refurbishment project in accord with their original plan until it was scrapped due to financial reason caused by high market volatilty. 64 however survives to see another 6 years until B78X arrives. They are keeping a fleet of 10 333 in a right sizing move until 2032. Which is still plentiful to fly AKL soon.

[Solblanc]

Arianespace wrote

filipinoavgeek wrote

Arianespace wrote

Solblanc wrote

Is the refurbishment plan still going to go ahead?

Going ahead to some and cancellation on some. The middle east war really screwed up their plan.

I guess this means they aren't returning to AKL anytime soon since they'd really need extra frames to serve it. They could have probably just redeployed those to other routes instead. Are they only returning the high-density frames, or even the "premium" A330s are also going?

I guess not for a different reason. The high density 368 seater 6x were meant for the middle east market, not the premium markets served by 309 seater 8x. Their lease is expiring and they have nowhere else to go since 7w is expanding in their intended market.

If you think about it, they are experiencing overcapacity, causing non-renewal of 63, which is actually the right time for refurbishment project in accord with their original plan until it was scrapped due to financial reason caused by high market volatilty. 64 however survives to see another 6 years until B78X arrives. They are keeping a fleet of 10 333 in a right sizing move until 2032. Which is still plentiful to fly AKL soon.

It would be nice to see what the refurb plans for the A330s are. If 77Ws can pick up the capacity slack, then it should mean that they can comfortably get rid of the 9-abreast layout. Either everything gets standardized to 309 seats, or they could skip the W cabin and have an 18/300 configuration. With MEL going daily, Brisbane upgauging from the NEO given the route growth, and HNL probably growing thanks to existing partnerships and oneworld entry, the 4 3-class A330s won’t cut it. They’ll need more.

[ewh1]

I saw some pics of PAL's roadshow in India for their pending flights, and it seems like they are positioning PAL's flights as both a destination to the Philippines and a 1 stop connector to North America. With the projected forecast and potential of the Indian market, some of those A330s could go there; with Air India now set to deploy a 787-8 to MNL, with the type undergoing refurbishment, it seems like a no-brainer.

[Arianespace]

I see this as unlikely proposition as ME carriers does it better and cheaper. In fact, it is their best one-stop option, just like we have Taiwan, Korea and Japan for our choices going across the big pond.

[Evodesire]

ewh1 wrote

Since Oren, who started MNLFlights, left the country for New Zealand, A new livestream planespotting channel for MNL has appeared and has been shared by him, MNLSpot. They seem to still be getting set up, but I hope the quality increases with time and new subs.

https://www.youtube.com/@mnlspot

 
I think it's this guy on the right. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19YF28HKXx/

[ewh1]

https://www.reddit.com/r/flightradar24/comments/1wb4wp3/philippine_airlines_emergency_over_the_aleutian/

Yikes, apparently PR116 had a depressurization issue and made what looks like a rapid descent from cruising altitude to under 10,000ft, briefly declaring an emergency before diverting to Anchorage at low altitude for 2-3 hours before landing.

I can't imagine how disconcerting that must be, especially flying in the Pacific and having to drop altitude fast. Does anyone have any more information?

Edit: here is coverage from Anchorage spotters and it looked like emergency trucks were awaiting its arrival.  InsiderPH covered it in this FB Post

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

Arkia announced that it would be opening a new direct route to the capital of the Philippines, Manila, starting on January 3, 2027

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-907986

[airline_builder]

Gustavo J Oppenheimer wrote

Arkia announced that it would be opening a new direct route to the capital of the Philippines, Manila, starting on January 3, 2027

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-907986

once a week Jan to March/ seasonal so quite not there yet to celebrate the link

[Solblanc]

airline_builder wrote

Gustavo J Oppenheimer wrote

Arkia announced that it would be opening a new direct route to the capital of the Philippines, Manila, starting on January 3, 2027

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-907986

once a week Jan to March/ seasonal so quite not there yet to celebrate the link

It's still better than any other option. Israel is quite unpopular right now, and the biggest option for anyone travelling there used to be Turkish airlines. Now that Turkish even surrendered all their slots at TLV, and with CX not bothering anymore, that once weekly Arkia flight is gonna look attractive to those that have to travel.

Anyway, that's what you get if you prioritize conflict over stability.

[Arianespace]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/901735569431738
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1779907569705312

[JNC03]

Marcos Jr used the lone PH reg ACJ to India for the BRICS summit