PAL Resumes Normal operations Nov. 24

October 31, 2011

Philippine Airlines announced Saturday that it expects to resume full domestic and international operations starting November 24, 2011 for its winter schedule following the streamlining and spinoff of three of its non-core businesses.

Domestic and International flight operations should all be operating at Terminal 2 from that time as third party service providers build up and complete manpower requirements for airport services, the airline said in a statement.

 

But the airline is studying whether to recall some of its domestic flights to terminal 2 from the current Terminal 3 considering that the airline has grown capacity operating from  the current terminal.

“Terminal 2 is already too small for us,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista said in a recent interview. 

Terminal 2 was completed in 1998 and opened for operations a year later. 

Bautista said that despite being the only airline in the building, which is an advantage PAL has over most carriers in the country that have to share terminals with others, Terminal 2 has become too small for the flag carrier’s needs.

Terminal 2 is split into two wings: one for PAL’s international operations and the other for domestic flights.

“The problem with Terminal 2 is our growing international passenger traffic, the airline had been forced to use some of terminal’s domestic space for international operations, especially during peak hours,” says Bautista.

The government earlier tried to convince PAL to move its international operations to Terminal 3 but the airline refused, saying it would not split its operations between two terminals. But after the spin-off a rethinking has to be made to decongest Terminal 2 for more international passengers.

Bautista said they are expecting to receive two more Boeing 777 planes next year for its international and domestic operations and they feel that there is already a need to transfer some of its narrow bodies to Terminal 3 so that they can eventually make Terminal 2 an international Terminal for PAL.

Currently, those that are operating at Terminal 2 include flights to the following domestic destinations:

- Butuan
- Cagayan de Oro
- Cebu
- Davao
- General Santos
- Iloilo
- Kalibo
- Legazpi
- Laoag
- Puerto Princesa
- Tagbilaran
- Roxas

Those at Terminal 3 include:

- Bacolod
- Cotabato
- Dipolog
- Dumaguete
- Ozamiz
- Tacloban
- Zamboanga

PAL said the Terminal assignments for the following destinations are not yet final.