Philippine Airlines (PAL) has entered into a strategic partnership with Qatar Airways, following the launch of daily flights to the latter’s Doha hub.
The Manila-based carrier will begin flying to Doha from 16 June, with Qatar Airways placing its code on the flights in the “first phase” of the cooperation. PAL’s flights will be operated by Airbus A330-300s.
The two carriers will explore long-term cooperation opportunities, including the joint promotion of additional points in each other’s networks, as well as frequent flyer programme cooperation.
PAL president Stanley Ng states: “Our decision to offer daily frequency to Doha is enabled by our exciting strategic partnership with Qatar Airways and will help us stimulate tourism, trade flows and business growth in the context of the strong bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Qatar.”
Separately, PAL parent company PAL Holdings reported a net profit of Ps4.7 billion ($83.5 million) for the quarter ended 31 March, up 2.8% year on year. The company’s quarterly revenues inched up slightly to Ps40.5 billion, with ancillary revenue leading the increase.
PAL notes that passenger yields had softened during the quarter amid more capacity. It also attributes the tepid passenger revenue increase to a shift in the peak travel period from March to April.
Group expenses rose about 8% year on year to Ps42.3 billion, on the back of increased airport and maintenance costs.
