AS SOON as the supply chain and spare parts issue are resolved in the global aviation industry, flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) pledged to immediately add more frequencies for its domestic and international routes on the back of a healthy air travel demand. PAL president and chief operating officer Capt. Stanley Ng, in an interview Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, said PAL made a conscious decision to cancel 20 flights per day for its whole network just to make their flight schedules more reliable. He noted they made it that way to avoid flight delays and provide their passengers a better experience. “When you book PAL, we want to make sure it will fly or depart. So that’s what we want,” he said. Ng said PAL currently has some grounded planes--around three to five grounded ones with no engines and others with spare parts issues. “However, as we recover and reactivate those aircrafts, we will be able to mount more flights,” he said. PAL in June cancelled at least eight flights, namely PR382 Canada, PR318 Hong Kong, PR408 Osaka, PR501 Singapore, PR740 Bangkok, PR110 Guam, PR432 Narita, and PR426 Fukuoka. These flight cancellations were consequential to the grounding of several aircraft. The Covid-19 induced lockdowns, followed by the war in Ukraine and Russia, and the strong return of air travel had all resulted in shortages of aircraft, engines and components globally. But the supply chain issues will likely be resolved in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Ng. “The spare parts have been coming in slowly since March this year,” he said. PAL recently signed a purchase agreement for nine brand-new aircraft from Airbus. The new aircraft will fly on non-stop services from Manila to North America, including to the East Coast of the United States and Canada. The new aircraft will join two A350-900s already in service at the airline. PAL’s A350-1000 fleet will be able to accommodate 380 passengers with separate cabins for business class, premium economy and economy class. Mabuhay lounge opens Ng and other PAL executives were in Cebu to unveil the brand- new PAL Mabuhay Lounge at the domestic terminal of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The 300-square-meter lounge can accommodate about 114 persons. It is open for PAL’s Business Class and Comfort Class passengers and Mabuhay Miles Elite, Premier Elite and Million Miler members. Designed by Adrian Chua Architects and Associates, the Mabuhay lounge is a fusion of modern Filipino interiors, showcasing vibrant color tones including the flag carrier’s signature blue, the warmth of wooden touches and modern feel of sleek furnishings. “The new lounge is part of the Philippine Airlines’ strong commitment to build up Mactan-Cebu as our fastest growing hub—the heart of a robust network of PAL flights linking Cebu with 19 domestic and regional destinations. The lounge is a new haven in our Cebu home,” he said. PAL flies to 32 destinations in the Philippines and 39 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia and the Middle East.