Philippine Airlines will introduce three non-stop flights per week between Perth and Manila, commencing 27 March 2023 with tickets now on sale.
This will be the first ever nonstop air link between the Philippines and Western Australia.
This service is the result of a partnership between the WA Government, through Tourism Western Australia, Philippine Airlines and Perth Airport.
For this route, Philippine Airlines will utilise its long range Airbus A321neo, with 12 full-flat Business Class seats and 156 spacious Economy seats with individual entertainment systems.
Flight PR223 will depart Manila at 12.05am, arriving in Perth Terminal 1 International at 7.15am, and the return flight PR224 will leave Perth at 8.30am and land in Manila at 3.50pm.
The new PAL nonstop flights will allow travelers to reach Manila in just seven (7) hours, saving them four to six hours in travel time compared to flying via other airlines that require a stopover and flight connections in a third country.
The new route is expected to support tourism between Australians and Filipinos, as well as businesses that trade across the two regions.
“We are delighted to say, ‘Mabuhay, Perth!’ as we expand our network to Western
Australia,” said Philippine Airlines President & COO Captain Stanley K. Ng. “The new nonstop flights give Philippine Airlines and travel partners a great opportunity to promote the Philippines as a prime tourist and business destination for travelers in Western Australia. Likewise, we invite Filipinos to do business in Perth or visit family members while discovering this dynamic Australian region and building new friendships.”
This service was due to start in March 2020 but was disrupted due to COVID-19.
Philippine Airlines operates the largest network of Australia-Philippines flights. Perth is PAL’s fourth Australian gateway, joining Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, all of which are served with nonstop flights using Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft. PAL offers a total of 20 weekly flights to Manila from Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Australia is the Philippines’ third largest source of tourist visitors, with more than 89,000 Australians visiting the Philippines in 2022 thus far.
Philippine Airlines operates non-stop flights between Manila and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and onward to a range of domestic destinations including hubs in Cebu and Davao, as well as international destinations across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Vice President of APBC Western Australia, Louisa Cotter has provided a statement on the announcement:
“The Australia Philippines Business Council welcomes the recent announcement of Philippine Airlines direct flight from Perth to Manila.
According to the 2021 census, there are over 46,000 Filipinos in Western Australia that can benefit from this service for travellers seeking more direct connectivity to reconnect with families, and provides fantastic opportunities
to build upon existing trade, business and international education growth.
The new service will provide significant boost for tourism, with further opportunities to explore and create further awareness on the rich culture, the food and the natural wonders that Philippines and Western Australia has to offer as a two-way travel destination.
Philippine Airlines is an airline that is the heart of the Filipinos and the Filipino Australian community in WA looks forward to supporting the direct services.”
Perth Airport Chief Executive Office Kevin Brown stated:
“This exciting new route will inject more than 52,000 seats into the market each year. We’re keen to see more Filipino students choose to study in Perth to help the education sector as well as our tourism and hospitality markets. The same is true in reverse. With more than 7,000 islands and amazing beaches on offer, the Philippines also offers Western Australians an attractive holiday destination.
The schedule into Manila will maximize the opportunity to connect to some incredible Philippines destinations, including Cebu and Davao, as well as making the most of Philippine Airlines’ extensive network throughout Asia and beyond to the USA,” said Mr. Brown of Perth Airport.”
WA Tourism Minister Roger Cook MP also provided a statement:
“WA’s position as the country’s Western Gateway has been further strengthened with new non-stop flights between Manila and Perth set to take off in March next year.
The new route will inject more than 52,000 seats into the market each year.
Pre-COVID, 45 per cent of visitor arrivals to WA from the Philippines were visiting friends and relatives, while 21 per cent visited for business, 21 per cent for a holiday.
The new direct route opens up the potential for increasing the number of Filipino students in WA, which now accounts for about seven per cent of the visitor numbers.
Department of Home Affairs figures show Filipino arrivals to WA have recovered to around 54 per cent of pre-Covid levels, making the Philippines the 9th largest international market for WA arrivals since the state’s border reopened.
“I’m delighted this new non-stop flight has been scheduled for take-off from early next year, which has been delivered in partnership between the WA Government through Tourism Western Australia, Philippine Airlines and Perth Airport.
“The Southeast Asia region has been leading the recovery of our international visitor economy since reconnecting with the world earlier this year, and this new service will provide an important connection between WA and the Philippines. It also opens up a major market for international education and helps cement the growing relationships between businesses in WA and the Philippines. We expect to see the Philippines visitor market continue to grow, and we extend a warm welcome to all as this new route encourages more visitation and makes it easier than ever for Filipinos to walk on a dream in WA. More direct flights to WA means more opportunities for visitors to start their Australian holiday in Perth and then travel to our fantastic tourism regions across the State, boosting local businesses and helping to create jobs.””
Philippine Ambassador Ma. Hellen De La Vega also provided some comments:
“I wish to congratulate Philippine Airlines and Perth Airport on the launch of the nonstop flight between Manila and Perth. The Philippines has a strong relationship with the State of Western Australia given our trade, investment and people to people connections. I look forward to more opportunities to reinforce this relationship with the help of Philippine Airlines.”
