New aircraft to serve longhaul market
Carrier has rights to buy three more widebody aircraft
Company39;s first jet purchase after bankruptcy process in 2021

MANILA, May 10 Reuters Philippine Airlines PHL.UL will order nine Airbus A3501000 widebody aircraft to expand its fleet and route network as air travel recovers from the pandemic, the flag carrier said on Wednesday.

The new aircraft will be operated on nonstop services from Manila to North America, its biggest international market, including the east coast of the United States and Canada, the company said.

Reuters on Tuesday reported that Philippine Airlines was close to a deal to acquire 10 Airbus planes, in the latest sign of a recovery in the market for widebody jets, citing sources.

The first of the nine A3501000s is slated to be delivered by the fourth quarter of 2025, with deliveries continuing until 2027, the airline said.

The Philippine flag carrier also secured purchase rights on three additional A3501000s for future expansion to new longhaul destinations, it added.

The memorandum signed by Philippine Airlines is not yet a final order and finetuning the contractual details can take weeks or months.

The airline currently operates various Airbus jets, including the A350 on longhaul intercontinental routes and A330300s on services to the Middle East, Australia and various points in Asia.

It also operates a fleet of A320 and A321 singleaisle aircraft on its domestic and regional network out of the…