Philippine Airlines on Monday said it will use its new Airbus A321neo SR aircraft for Asian regional flights as part of the flag carrier’s fresh fleet modernization program.
“Our newest A321neo will become the single-aisle mainstay for regional routes, helping PAL in our mission to boost tourism from the high-producing tourist countries in the region such as China, Japan, Korea and our ASEAN neighbors,” said PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria.
The brand new PAL A321neo SR joined the fleet in July after completing flight tests at the Airbus A320/A321 assembly plant in Hamburg’s Finkenwerder Airport (Germany).
The aircraft is the first of a batch of 15 that will be progressively introduced into the PAL fleet over the next few years.
PAL’s A321neo SR is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines and features the versatile Airbus “cabin flex” configuration designed for short-range regional flights between the Philippines and East Asian destinations, including airports in greater China, central Japan, Korea, Guam and the rest of Southeast Asia.