Philippine Airlines said it expects a ‘good’ year in 2018, when a million visitors from China are expected to visit the Philippines.
“We hope, we’re expecting that 2018 will be another good year in terms of growth. As mentioned by IATA [International Air Transport Association], the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region is really a huge growth area,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.
“One third of the flying customers will be coming from this region. Asia Pacific region is where the Philippines is a part of. We just hope that the government will continue to support our initiatives to have better infrastructure,” Bautista said.
Bautista said PAL posted a double-digit growth in traffic this year on rising demand, and this would continue next year with the improvement in international visitor arrivals.
“In terms of traffic, we grew our traffic by more than 12 percent. So, it’s a double-digit growth and the demand is growing for domestic and international. I think tourist arrivals will improve next year. We’re expecting that there would be more than a million Chinese visitors next year from a little over 600,000 or less than 700,000. This will result in more than a million tourists from China,” he said.
The airline said it expects to carry 16.5 million to 17 million passengers in 2018, up from 15 million projected this year.
PAL Holdings Inc., the parent firm of PAL, earlier reported a total comprehensive loss of P1.05 billion in January to June, a significant downturn from the P4.62-billion profit a year ago.
Total revenues in the first half reached P67.76 billion, up by 17.7 percent from last year’s P57.57 billion. Total expenses for the period increased 32.5 percent to P52.31 billion.
PAL earlier said it was expecting to post a net loss this year because of the P6 billion in navigational fees and other charges it paid to the government. PAL settled its P6-billion debt to the government on Friday, ahead of the December deadline.
President Rodrigo Durterte earlier threatened to close the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 if PAL would not settle its unpaid navigational fees to the government.
PAL operates domestic and international flights at Naia Terminal 2.
PAL is also in the process of finalizing a new proposal to Manila International Airport Authority and the Department of Transportation to build a new passenger terminal beside its current hub at the Terminal 2.
State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. said PAL’s contract with a former management of the gaming corporation only included the use of the rented property as “an aircraft parking ramp/apron facility.”
Pagcor said PAL was thus prohibited from using the leased premises for any other business or purpose, including the construction of a new terminal without prior written consent from the agency.
PAL plans to build a P20-billon passenger terminal at the former Nayong Pilipino complex, which could handle 12 million to 15 million passengers a year and would have aerobridges capable of serving 12 to 17 wide-bodied and single aisle jets.
Naia’s four terminals are currently serving 42 million passengers a year, 12 million or 40 percent more than their design capacity of 30 million.
Constructing a new, 89,000 square-meter air terminal north of Naia 2 would help decongest the airport and provide PAL passengers much-deserved space, amenities and modern conveniences, the flag carrier said.