PASAY CITY, 28 March 2023 – The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is happy to welcome Philippine Airlines' (PAL) inaugural flight from Perth, Australia as it arrived on Monday afternoon, March 27, carrying 165 passengers.
The gateway to Western Australia is now only a seven-hour flight away, as PAL launched its regular Manila-Perth-Manila nonstop flights, saving passengers four to six hours of travel time when taking a connecting flight to a third country.
“The launch of direct flights to and from Perth is a significant development that deserves our utmost appreciation. This new route brings the Philippines closer to Filipino and Australian travelers as it provides shorter travel times, seamless connections, and greater convenience," said MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong.
With over 89,000 Australian visitors in 2022, Australia is the Philippines’ third largest source of tourist visitors. The first-ever direct flights between Manila and Perth will encourage Australians to visit the Philippines for business and leisure, as well as Filipinos to visit the western regions of the Australian continent.
This also opens up new options via NAIA, the flag carrier’s Manila hub, for Perth-bound passengers traveling from Los Angeles, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and points in Japan, as well as from Cebu, Davao, and other key Philippine destinations.
Every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, PR 223 departs for Perth from NAIA Terminal 2 at 12:05AM, while PR 224 from Perth to Manila departs on the same days at 8:30AM from Perth Airport T1 International.
“Perth now joins Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane in our network of Australian services. We have linked Australia to the Philippines for nearly 58 years now,” PAL President and COO Captain Stanley Ng said during the send-off ceremony attended by among others, officials from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) led by Secretary Jaime Bautista. The maiden flight, PR 223, had 121 passengers on board.
“Aviation is one indispensable mode of modern transport. PAL’s efforts to expand its route network serve to accommodate a rapidly growing air traffic demand in this post-pandemic era. This Perth inaugural flight will start to reconnect the lost air bridges and reignite the once robust tourism and great relations with other countries,” Secretary Bautista said in his message.
Flights to Perth and Manila shall continue to operate in NAIA Terminal 2 until June 15. With the implementation of the new terminal assignments, MNL-PER-MNL shall operate from NAIA Terminal 1 beginning June 16.