Philippine Airlines is set to increase its fleet capacity by wet-leasing two A330-200 aircraft from Wamos Air, aimed at supporting its routes between Manila and key Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Starting June 1, 2024, these leased aircraft will enhance service continuity and operational resilience during the peak travel season, as announced in a recent Philippine Stock Exchange filing by Philippine Airlines’ CEO, Stanley Ng.
This strategic move comes as the airline addresses additional maintenance demands and ongoing global supply chain challenges that affect its operations. “We see the need to temporarily add these aircraft to ensure that we have sufficient capacity to meet the demand that we are anticipating across our network,” Ng stated.
Wamos Air, which maintains a fleet that includes four A330-200s and six A330-300s, will allocate two of its A330-200s, specifically the aircraft registered as EC-NCK (msn 840) and EC-NUI (msn 963), for the Philippine Airlines routes. The Sydney services will be operational from June 1 through October 31, while the Melbourne flights will be available from June 1 through September 30.
Philippine Airlines currently offers daily flights to Sydney and five weekly flights to Melbourne. Passengers traveling on the wet-leased Wamos aircraft will experience a two-cabin class configuration, ensuring they receive the same quality of in-flight amenities and ground service as on any Philippine Airlines-operated A330 flight.
The decision to augment its fleet with additional capacity reflects Philippine Airlines’ ongoing efforts to adapt to increased passenger demand and limited availability of new aircraft. According to ch-aviation’s fleets module, the airline’s current fleet consists of 52 aircraft, including a mix of Airbus and Boeing models. Additionally, Philippine Airlines is expecting deliveries of thirteen A321-200Ns, nine A350-1000s, and one Boeing 777-300ER as it continues to expand its service to 73 airports in 21 countries.
