FARNBOROUGH: Philippine Airlines ordered nine Airbus A350 widebody jets on Tuesday and secured rights for five more, a day after it placed an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, in its push to expand long-haul services.PAL, Asia's first commercial airline, has been rebuilding its long-haul network after emerging from U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of 2021, when it completed a restructuring that cut debt and streamlined its fleet.On Monday, PAL ordered 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with options for five additional aircraft, its first orders for Boeing jets after a hiatus of more than 20 years.Asian and Middle Eastern carriers are pushing to expand and renew widebody fleets to meet recovering international travel demand and support growth on long-haul routes.PAL, controlled by Filipino billionaire Lucio Tan's group, a conglomerate with interests spanning aviation, banking, tobacco, liquor, beverages, property and education, is positioning for broader international expansion as the Philippines advances plans for a new airport and the carrier seeks to deepen global connectivity.It expects the first of Tuesday's order of Airbus A350-1000s to arrive by early 2030, Philippine Airlines President Richard Nuttall said. Last month, the carrier announced plans to join the oneworld Alliance, ending its status as one of the few major Asian flag carriers outside a global airline grouping.PAL has focused its widebody renewal on aircraft capable of serving North America, where demand is underpinned by the large Filipino diaspora.The flag carrier currently operates Boeing 777s and Airbus A350s on its longest routes, alongside Airbus A330s and narrowbody jets for short-haul international and domestic services.PAL previously ordered nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft for ultra-long-haul services from Manila to North America, with the first delivered in December 2025.
