Philippine Airlines to launch flights to Beijing

Philippine Airlines is to start a regular service between Manila and Beijing on November 11, 2005, giving the flag carrier a direct link to the political and cultural heart of China, and a third gateway to one of the world's most dynamic tourist markets.

The service will operate three times a week, with departures from Manila (PR 358) every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. with arrival at Beijing Capital Airport at 11:55 a.m.

The return service, PR 359, departs Beijing on the same days at 12:55 p.m. and arrives in Manila at 5:15 p.m.

PAL will deploy widebody Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the first two flight dates, November 11 and 13, to accommodate the expected crush of passengers on the inaugural services.

Thereafter, the airline switches to the Airbus A320. The new-generation jet seats a total of 150 in a bi-class layout - 12 in Mabuhay (business) class and 138 in economy.

PAL will be returning to Beijing after 16 years, the long absence reflecting the giant strides the Chinese capital - and the nation at large - have taken in the last decade and a half.

When PAL first flew to Peking, as Beijing was known then, on August 1, 1979, the People's Republic was an austere, closed society that had little contact with the outside world. PAL made history then, becoming the first Asian airline to operate scheduled flights to mainland China.

That pioneering service, initially routed via Guangzhou and, later, Xiamen, lasted until June 1989, when it was suspended for commercial reasons.

Today, Beijing is a cosmopolitan city of 7.2 million people and presides over the world's fastest-growing economy, which has transformed China into a regional superpower with increasing global clout.

Beijing is PAL's third destination in China. The airline already operates a daily service to Shanghai and four-times-weekly flights to Xiamen in southern Fujian province.

More importantly, Beijing provides PAL a bigger platform from which to access a burgeoning tourist market. The World Tourism Organization estimates that the number of Chinese traveling overseas will soar from the current 10 million a year to 50 million by 2010, and to 100 million by 2020. This will make China the leading source of tourists worldwide.

The Philippines has yet to take advantage of this booming traffic. In the first six months of 2005, the country welcomed only 55,426 visitors from China (compared to 328,673 from the top-ranked United States), indicating immense potential for expansion.

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