PAL resumes direct flights to Guangzhou and Xiamen

• Philippine Airlines resumed on January 14 direct flights between Manila and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou that was suspended at the height of the COVID-19 in 2020

• PAL is initially operating a once-weekly flight every Saturday to Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport

• As part of a gradual restoration of services to China, PAL also resumed flying between Manila and Xiamen on January 13, initially with one flight per week

Philippine Airlines (PAL) on January 14 resumed direct flights between Manila and Guangzhou (Canton), the mega-port city and gateway to China’s Pearl River Delta Economic Zone in the industrial heartland of Guangdong province.

PAL is operating an initial once weekly flight every Saturday to Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport, the flag carrier said in a statement.

“We are gearing up for the resumption of regular passenger flights to China – helping pave the way for the full restoration of our pre-pandemic flight frequencies,” PAL vice president for network planning Christoph Gaertner said.

“By adding Guangzhou to our roster of operated flights, we are connecting to the world’s second largest economy and enhancing friendly ties between China and the Philippines.

The PAL flights to and from Guangzhou offer travelers early morning departures every Saturday at 3:35 a.m. from Manila and 8:40 a.m. from Guangzhou.

For the Guangzhou route, the flag carrier will deploy its Airbus A330-300 with a capacity of 309 to 363 seats, and Airbus A321ceo aircraft that can seat 199 passengers.

As part of a gradual restoration of services to China, PAL also resumed flying between Manila and Xiamen on January 13, initially with one flight a week.

For its calibrated step by step resumption of flights to the China, PAL is working closely with Chinese and Philippine health and aviation authorities to ensure the highest level of health safety protection for travelers.

“We uphold the highest standards of safety in all our flights. Aircraft surfaces are disinfected before and after every journey, and high efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filters cleanse the cabin air of bacteria and viruses with 99.99% efficacy,” Gaertner said.

“As always, our passengers will need to comply with any arrival testing protocols implemented by the Philippine and Chinese governments,” he added.

Before the pandemic, the flag carrier served the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Quanzhou (Jinjiang) and Xiamen for a total of 34 flights a week.

From March 2020 until the present, PAL has been operating regular and ad hoc all-cargo and charter flights to China, including passenger charters to Tianjin and vaccine transport flights.