Riaydh Air Inaugural

10 September 2026

New Saudi Carrier (LCC) Riyadh Air (RX) has launch daily flight to Manila from Riyadh yesterday arriving at 03:55pm using a four class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

Flight RX0873 departed King Khalid International Airport (RUH) at 1:05 AM local time and touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) Terminal 3 at 4:15 PM local time. Its return flight RX0874 will depart Manila at 5:25 PM arriving Riyadh at 10:15 PM.

Riyadh Air, will operate flights to Manila daily, marking a major milestone in the airline's rapid expansion across Asia as it flies its 13th inaugural flight since its commercial launch in June 2026.

The airline operates synchronized onward connections to Europe, benefiting travelers from Manila from faster, seamless gateway to key European Union Capitals.

 

2027 Airport Infrastructure Program

 3 September 2026

 

AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
2027
ITEM	AIRPORT	ALLOCATION	REMARKS
1	New Manila	200	NEP
2	Bicol	850	NEP
3	Laoag	500	NEP
4	New Naga	900	NEP
5	Bukidnon	300	NEP
6	Busuanga	950	NEP
7	New Manila	200	NEP
8	Kalibo	200	NEP
nil
nil
nil
nil
TOTAL		3,901	Billion
DOTr Central Office

Riyadh Air Expands to MNL

18 August 2026

Saudi carrier Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s second flag carrier, is mounting direct daily flights from Riyadh to Manila beginning September 9, 2026.

The carrier shall be utilizing the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for the Manila route. 

The airline said their aircraft carries 290 passengers broken down into 28 in business class, 39 in premium economy, and 223 in economy cabin.

Flight RX873 departs King Khalid International Airport at 1:05 a.m. to land at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 3:55 p.m., local time, while return flight RX874 takes off from Manila at 5:25 p.m. to arrive in Riyadh at 10:15 p.m., local time.

Cebu Pacific Expands CEB, CRK hub

 18 August 2026

Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) will expand its international network beginning in the last quarter of this year.

According to the airline, CEB will resume direct flights between Cebu and Ho Chi Minh City starting Oct. 26, every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Also CEB will launch direct flights between Cebu and Shanghai, China thrice weekly beginning November 17. This shall be followed with Nagoya, Japan on November 19, with flights departing four times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Meanwhile, the carrier is set to resume direct services between Clark and Hanoi, Vietnam starting Nov. 19 flying thrice a week,and between Manila and Xiamen beginning Nov. 23, with flights scheduled every Mondays and Fridays.

Turkey Expands Philippine Bilateral

 18 August 2026

The Philippines and Turkey has signed expanded Air Services Agreement (ASA) increasing flight frequency between Manila and Istanbul from 7 times weekly to 14 times a week.

The expanded Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Thursday in Turkey following talks in Istanbul between Türkiye’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Philippines’ Civil Aviation Authority. 

Türkiye was represented by Director General Kemal Yüksek, while the Philippines was represented by Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. 

The increase frequency is effective from the start of the northern winter schedule.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the agreement also calls for unlimited flights from Istanbul to secondary gateways in Cebu, Clark and Davao.

Air links between Türkiye and the Philippines began in 2015 with three weekly flights. The flight allocation was raised in 2022 to daily flights.  

 Currently, Turkisk airline flies daily to Manila using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

PAL Orders More A35k

21 July 2026

FARNBOROUGH, UNITED KINGDOM — Philippine Airlines (PAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for the acquisition of nine (9) additional A350-1000 aircraft, with purchase rights for five more frames, for the airlines long-haul growth and fleet modernization.

The airline expects scheduled delivery for the second batch of Airbus A350-1000 orders in 2034 until 2036.

The agreement was announced during the Farnborough International Airshow by Lucio C. Tan III, President and Chief Operating Officer of PAL Holdings, Inc., Richard Nuttall, President of Philippine Airlines, together with Lars Wagner, CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus and Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President Sales of Airbus Commercial Aircraft.

The new order will increase PAL's A350-1000 fleet to 18 frames, and position the aircraft as the airline's flagship for long-haul operations. 

“The A350-1000 will continue to define the future of our international operations for many years to come,” said Lucio C. Tan III.

PAL currently operates two Airbus A350-1000 with three more coming to the fleet this year. Four more are expected to be delivered by 2028.

“We are proud that PAL is strongly expanding its A350-1000 flagship fleet, flying the flag of the Philippines across the world,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry. 

The purchase rights for five additional aircraft provide PAL with flexibility to support future fleet requirements and market opportunities.

PAL Orders B787-10

20 July 2026

FARNBOROUGH, PRNewswire-- Boeing and Philippine Airlines today announced the flag carrier has committed to order up to 20 787 Dreamliner jets. 

Once finalized, the agreement for 15 787-10 airplanes, with opportunity to purchase five more, will support Philippine Airlines' fleet modernization and expansion plans.

Aircraft delivery schedule starts from October 2031 to 2034 and powered by two General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B engines. 

"This investment manifests our confidence in the future of Philippine Airlines and the continued growth of air travel. The Boeing 787-10 will strengthen our medium and long-haul fleet, allowing us to provide an even better travel experience for our customers while improving operational efficiency and supporting our long-term sustainability goals," said Lucio C. Tan III, president and chief operating officer of PAL Holdings, Inc. 

"Philippine Airlines' selection of the 787 Dreamliner marks an important step forward in our partnership, one that spans 80 years," said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. " 

The 787-10 will complement PAL's longhaul fleet of Airbus A350-1000 jets by expanding operational flexibility across the airline's medium- and long-haul route network. 

Delta Returns To MNL

 19 July 2026

US carrier Delta Airlines (DAL) is returning to the Philippines as it resumes flight this time flying direct Los Angeles – Manila route and vice versa beginning March 28, 2027 thrice a week with Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

DAL flight will increase to daily flight two months later from 07 June 2027 and aircraft upgrade to A350-1000 beginning October 2027. It is scheduled to fly twice daily flight beginning northern summer of 2028. 

The schedule for next year is listed in the GDS as follows:
DL119 LAX2350 – 0530+2MNL 359 357
DL180 MNL0740 – 0605LAX 359 247 

Delta Airlines last flew to Manila via Incheon in South Korea until January 2021 at the height of the covid19 pandemic..