Good support for Philippine airlines in PNG

 A PHILIPPINE Air Lines (PAL) executive says the airline is positive about its presence in the country.

Assistant vice-president (international passenger sales) Eric Clark Tan said since starting additional flights last December, they were able to enjoy good business with support from the people and the Government.

PAL operates three weekly flights into Port Moresby through its 156 seat, A320 airbus every Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Tan said PAL was able to introduce a low-cost option for more than 30,000 Filipinos in the country to travel back home.

He said they were also providing an opportunity for locals to get a more affordable option to travel into the Philippines and other international destinations

Tan while they only had three flights, they were looking forward to expand their services.

“We have to take into account the air traffic that we have at the moment,” he said.

“We would love to have more flights apart from the three that we have.

“However we also want to ensure our current flights are stable, and take into consideration the intake of passengers that we may have between Port Moresby and Manila.

“Right now we are trying to be more competitive with the other airline as much as possible.

“But if we are given more sloths we would definitely take the opportunity for more flights. 

“At the moment we are focused on delivering direct flights into Manila from Port Moresby.” Commenting on the prospects of a code-share agreement with local airlines in the country, Tan said PAL was open for engagement if approached. 

PAL’s senior account executive Israel Fontanilla said the airline expected a lot from the country.

“We were very excited when we started flying here last December,” he said. 

“PNG offers the path way for us in the region, especially when the country connects to the other Pacific countries. We see the opportunities, and we see that there are new markets for us to tap in.