The Airbus A350-1000 has a brand-new operator in Philippine Airlines, with the carrier welcoming its first aircraft into the fleet this week. The airline has a total of nine firm orders with Airbus for the long-range widebody and an additional three options, with all deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.
The delivery makes Philippine Airlines the first carrier in Southeast Asia to operate the stretched A350 variant. The airline is already an operator of the standard A350-900 model, with a total of two -900s in its fleet today.
Philippine Airlines Becomes Latest A350-1000 Operator
Credit: Philippine Airlines
The first of nine A350-1000s to fly with the Philippines’ flag carrier arrived in Manila on Saturday afternoon, marking a milestone moment for PAL. Following a ceremony at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, the aircraft — registered as RP-C3510 — departed for its delivery flight to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) ahead of a direct 14-hour and 20-minute journey. Along with senior PAL leadership, a large contingent of aviation enthusiasts were on the ground in Manila to capture the historic moment.
The airframe completed its maiden flight less than three weeks ago and will now integrate into PAL’s fleet ahead of its entry into service early next year. As the tenth A350-1000 customer to take delivery of the Airbus widebody, RP-C3510’s arrival puts the carrier in illustrious company, joining the likes of British Airways and Qatar Airways as a -1000 operator.
PAL President Lucio Tan III commented,
“The arrival of the A350-1000 marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to fleet modernization and network growth. It will be a source of Filipino pride and a transformational step for our airline.”
Onboard Its New Flagship Aircraft
Credit: Airbus
Like many other operators of the A350-1000, the type is set to become PAL’s new flagship aircraft, transforming the airline’s widebody fleet with its newest cabin and service offerings. Interestingly, the airline will be one of the few operators to equip a 3-4-3 configuration in its economy cabin, a decision also taken by Air Caraibes and French bee.
PAL’s A350-1000 will be able to accommodate up to 382 passengers across three cabin classes. The front business cabin offers 42 lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, along with sliding privacy doors. The premium economy cabin has 24 seats in a 2-4-2 layout, offering customers an enhanced 38-inch pitch and 19-inch seat width, while the main economy cabin accommodates 316 passengers in a 3-4-3 layout with a 32-inch pitch and 16.5-inch width.
Since entering service in, the Airbus A350-1000 has grown increasingly popular. While still far behind the A350-900 in terms of sales or deliveries, Airbus recently surpassed 100 deliveries of the -1000. The company has secured almost 1,500 orders for its A350-family of aircraft, the majority of which are for the A350-900 (1,049 orders). As for the -1000, Airbus has sold over 360 aircraft and delivered less than one-third of these commitments.
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Where Will PAL Fly Its New A350-1000s?
Credit: Philippine Airlines
Responding to a customer query on its Instagram page, the carrier said it did not have any confirmed news on which routes the A350-1000 will be serving, advising passengers to stay tuned for an official announcement in the future. However, the most likely candidate for its flagship aircraft would be its US network.
The longest route in PAL’s network is its service between Manila and New York (JFK), which it currently serves three times per week with its A350-900 fleet. This city pairing has a distance of 7,354 nautical miles (13,620 km) and a typical flight time of over 15 hours, putting it among the world’s longest active A350 routes today.
It also flies to other destinations in the US, operating a total of six routes to the US (and Guam) out of its Manila hub. The newest addition to its US network is Seattle (SEA), and the pairing has gone down well with its customers, to the extent that PAL boosted frequencies from three to five weekly flights last month. Along with New York and Seattle, its other US destinations are Guam (GUM), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO).
