Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
PR PAL PHILIPPINE
FoundedFebruary 26, 1941 (1941-02-26)
(as Philippine Air Lines)[note 1]
Commenced operationsMarch 15, 1941 (1941-03-15)
AOC #2009001[4]
HubsManila
Secondary hubs
Frequent-flyer programMabuhay Miles
SubsidiariesPAL Express
Fleet size48[5]
Destinations73[6] (including PAL Express)
Parent companyLT Group
(PAL Holdings, Inc.)
Traded asPSEPAL
HeadquartersLucio K. Tan Jr Center, Andrews Avenue, Pasay, Philippines
Key people
FounderAndrés Soriano
RevenueDecrease 170.38 billion (2024)
Operating incomeDecrease ₱9.44 billion (2024)
Net incomeDecrease ₱8.12 billion (2024)
Total assetsDecrease ₱213.26 billion (2024)
Total equityIncrease ₱42.89 billion (2024)
EmployeesIncrease 6,520 (2024)
Websitephilippineairlines.com
Notes
Financials are from the PSE.[10]

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines.[11] Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia.[12][13][14][note 2]

Philippine Airlines launched its first flight on March 15, 1941, using a Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft from Manila to Baguio. After a brief suspension during World War II, the airline resumed operations in 1946 and became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific, with a flight from Manila to Oakland, California. PAL was designated as the country's flag carrier in the late 1940s and expanded rapidly in the decades that followed.[15] In 1966, PAL was privatized when then-chairman Benigno Toda Jr. acquired a majority stake. However, in 1977, the airline was re-nationalized when the Government Service Insurance System obtained the majority of its shares. The airline underwent privatization again in 1992, when it was purchased by a group led by Antonio Cojuangco. Subsequent ownership changes occurred, with businessman Lucio Tan eventually becoming the majority stockholder in the mid-1990s.[16]

Over the years, PAL has undergone periods of expansion and restructuring, responding to economic downturns, fuel price volatility, and regional competition. The airline has implemented multiple modernization programs focused on fleet renewal, route expansion, and service upgrades. In February 2018, Skytrax recognized Philippine Airlines as a four-star airline.[17]

The airline's main flight operations are based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila. It primarily operates international routes across Asia, North America, and Oceania, along with select domestic sectors—including Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos—while the majority of domestic flights are operated by its subsidiary, PAL Express.[18][19][20][21]

  1. ^ Piad, Tyrone Jasper C. (March 16, 2023). "82-year-old PAL to grow fleet with refurbished aircraft". Inquirer Business. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Martelino, Anna (March 18, 2023). "New discoveries, new routes and a new look as PAL celebrates its 82nd anniversary". philstar.com. The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "PATCO (Philippine Aerial Transport Co.)". Airline History. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "ACTIVE/CURRENT AOC HOLDERS" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Airfleet". Philippine Airlines. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Philippine Airlines on ch-aviation.com". ch-aviation.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  7. ^ "Lucio Tan to serve as PAL interim president". ABS-CBN News. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  8. ^ "A new era begins: Lucio Tan III assumes presidency of PAL Holdings". May 25, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  9. ^ Abadilla, Emmie V. (January 31, 2022). "PAL appoints new president". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  10. ^ "Financial Reports: PAL Holdings, Inc". Philippine Stock Exchange. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Donoso, Isaac (2013). "Sociolingüística histórica del español en Filipinas" [Historical sociolinguistics of Spanish in the Philippines]. In Donoso, Isaac (ed.). Historia cultural de la lengua española en Filipinas: ayer y hoy [Cultural history of the Spanish language in the Philippines: then and now] (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial Verbum. p. 341. ISBN 9788479628130 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "About PAL". Philippine Airlines. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  13. ^ ""Philippine Airlines". Pacific Asia Travel Association. Retrieved October 3, 2009. [permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Donohue, Ken (April 2012). "Philippine Airlines: Asia's first, striving to shine". Airways (Sandpoint, Idaho). 19 (2). Sandpoint, Idaho: Airways International, Inc.: 26–33. ISSN 1074-4320. OCLC 29700959.
  15. ^ Kylie, Nicole (February 26, 2023). "82 Years Ago Today: The Foundation Of Philippine Airlines". Simple Flying. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  16. ^ Certeza, Ramon A. (July 2018). "The Palea struggle against outsourcing and contractualization in the airline industry in the Philippines" (PDF). Global Labour University. 52. International Labour Organization: 6. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  17. ^ "PAL 'wins big,' gets Skytrax 4-star global rating". Manila Standard. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  18. ^ "PAL Airport Terminals - Domestic Flights". www.philippineairlines.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  19. ^ "Featured Destinations". www.philippineairlines.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  20. ^ Liu, Jim (April 1, 2025). "Route Map: Philippine Airlines 1Q81 International Network". AeroRoutes. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  21. ^ Liu, Jim (April 2, 2025). "Route Map: Philippine Airlines NS85 International Network". AeroRoutes. Retrieved April 2, 2025.


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