Antonio D. Herrera, PAL assistant vice-president for passenger sales, said the airline would aggressively push chartered flights in China and other countries, including markets in Europe.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it would mount more chartered flights this year, mostly catering to the Chinese market, which now accounts for 20% of its total passenger load.
Antonio D. Herrera, PAL assistant vice-president for passenger sales, said the airline would aggressively push chartered flights in China and other countries, including markets in Europe.
Other countries that are sending feelers for unscheduled flights include Korea, the country’s number one tourists source, and Russia in Europe, Herrera said.
PAL is now looking at double-digit growth for chartered services.
The airline said chartered flights were a way to develop a market before they launch a commercial scheduled flight. At present, PAL flies daily to Xiamen, Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing.
PAL said it was planning to add more direct flights to Chinese cities.
PAL senior vice president for passenger sales Genero Velasquez said China produced mostly inbound tourists compared to other points like the Middle East which carry mostly overseas Filipino workers.
There are about seven million Filipino workers in the Middle East.
Velasquez said that PAL has adopted a very aggressive positioning in China because of the market’s size, with an estimated 100 million Chinese tourists travelling overseas in 2017.
PAL also mounted chartered flights from Hokkaido, Japan last year and hopes to do two to four flights this year.