CEBU — The first commercial flight of the world’s first dual-class turboprop airplane took off today (August 1, 2017) from Mactan International Airport bound for Caticlan and Clark, marking Philippine Airlines’ serious reassertion of its domestic market dominance.
A total of 12 next-generation bi-class Bombardier Q400 – with a seating capacity of 86, including six Premium Economy seats – will be utilized to expand PAL’s domestic network using operational hubs in Manila, Cebu and Clark.
By yearend, PAL will utilize the propeller-driven Q400 and Q300 on seven domestic routes out of Clark and 12 out of Cebu.
PAL flies its fleet of turboprops to – Basco, Busuanga, Naga, Calbayog, Catarman, Surigao, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Tacloban, Legazpi, Iloilo, Bacolod, and soon to Zamboanga and Jolo.
PAL is the first airline to use the next-generation Q400 with enhanced features, offering passengers full service even on short flights.
Over the last seven decades, PAL operated various types of turboprops to link far-flung islands and outlying rural communities.
For over a decade (1988-1999), the 54-seater Fokker 50 was the domestic operations workhorse. A decade later, the Bombardier Q400 and Q300 were introduced (May 2008).
Five next-generation Q400s are to be delivered before December 2017, with seven more for delivery before end of 2019. (Press Release)
