The EU has lifted the ban on Philippine Airlines (PAL), allowing the airline to fly into its airspace. This follows comments from the EU ambassador to Manila, Guy Ledoux, that the national carrier had finally resolved aviation safety concerns.
The removal of PAL from the EU blacklist represents a partial lifting of the ban, which was imposed in 2010, and it will be the only Philippine carrier permitted to serve Europe. Cebu Pacific in particular was excluded from the decision. This has been justified by Ledoux, who pointed out Cebu's June 2 crash landing at Davao International Airport, as a "weakness still to be addressed."
The decision will allow PAL to fly into the 28-member bloc starting tomorrow, July 12.
“Direct connections will provide a strong additional incentive for European tourists to visit the Philippines,” said Ledoux.
PAL president and CEO Ramon S Ang, who was present at the announcement, said the lifting of the ban would hasten the westward expansion of his airline. PAL stopped flying to Europe 15 years ago and now aims to return to popular hubs such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid. It has tentative plans for daily flights to London and six flights weekly to Paris, which could begin as early as September or October.
Since being acquired by Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) last year, PAL – one of Asia's oldest carriers – has been been fast tracked for improvement. Right after the SMC buyout, a major refleeting programme was announced (see story here), followed by a slew of product enhancements, including a deal with connectivity specialist On Air (see story here). It also opened its first gateway on the eastern seaboard of North America in 15 years (see story here).
The Philippine government welcomed EU's decision, with communications secretary Ricky Carandang saying: “This is good news for PAL, and is a sign of improvements in Philippine aviation standards.”
For more information, visit www.philippineairlines.com
Clement Huang
