Philippine Airlines (PAL) has confirmed plans to sell its fleet of De Havilland Dash 8 Q300s, and is looking at “newer generation” aircraft to replace them.
The airline was responding to news reports citing airline chief Stanley Ng as stating that the airline was “still negotiating…with buyers” for its Q300s, which the airline considers to be “a dead asset”.
Ng, who is also PAL’s operating chief, is also reported as saying that there is no “definite timeline” on when it is looking to sell the Q300s.
“After due verification…the company hereby confirms the information that indeed the [Q300s] are to be sold. The proceeds of the sale will be used for investments in newer generation planes,” the carrier states.
According to Cirium fleets data, the airline has four examples in storage. The turboprops are between 15 and 21 years old and operated under the PAL Express brand. PAL Express also has nine in-service Q400s with another four examples in storage.
The latest update comes nearly a week after the airline committed to ordering nine Airbus A350-1000s for ultra-long-haul operations. The new widebodies will allow the airline to fly from the Philippines to Europe and the USA’s east coast non-stop.
