Friday, April 18, 2008

PAL Acquires 9 Turbo-Props

The Philippine Airlines is acquiring up to nine turbo-propeller aircrafts to serve its revived inter-island operations, a major move by the flag carrier aimed at boosting trade, tourism and local economies in rural island communities.
PAL’s turbo-prop fleet will consist of three Q300 and six Q400 aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada, valued at $150 million. Deliveries of all nine turbo-props are expected within the next four to six months.
The aircrafts will enable PAL to provide better service to passengers commuting between island points across the archipelago.
PAL’s renewed foray into turbo-prop operations will expand its network to secondary points not currently served by jet aircraft. Most small-island airports in the country are able to accommodate only turbo-prop aircraft.
For passengers in these far-flung communities, being part of the PAL system allows them to enjoy seamless connections to the flag carrier’s extensive network of destinations throughout the Philippines, and across Asia, Australia and North America.
Bombardier’s top-of-the-line turbo-prop aircrafts, the Q300 and Q400 are parts of the manufacturer’s “Q Series” of turbo-props – the Q standing for “quiet” due to a patented suppression system that reduces cabin noise and vibration levels to nearly those of jetliners.
The aircrafts are equipped with two Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engines with maximum ranges of 1,819 kilometers for the Q300 and 2,826 kilometers for the Q400. Both airplanes have outstanding take-off and landing capabilities even on unprepared airstrips, making them the ideal choice for PAL’s services to small provincial airfields.
The pressurized Q300 cabin is configured with 50 seats at a comfortable 32-inch pitch while the slightly larger Q400 seats 76 passengers at a 30-inch pitch, making for low seat-mile costs that are ultimately passed on to passengers in the form of low fares. /MP

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