Philippine Airlines to Refurbish A321 Fleet Starting May 2025
Philippine Airlines will begin refurbishing its Airbus A321-200 fleet in May 2025, according to its 2024 annual report filed with the Philippines Stock Exchange. The cabin upgrades will feature new seating, enhanced WiFi, and improved inflight entertainment systems to better serve growing passenger demand.
The airline operates 18 A321-200s, with an additional four under its subsidiary PAL Express. The refurbishment program will focus solely on Philippine Airlines’ A321-200s, which are primarily deployed on short-haul international routes across Eastern and Northern Asia. PAL Express’ A321-200s will not undergo refurbishment.
The upgrades come as Philippine Airlines experiences capacity challenges amid rising demand. CEO Stanley Ng, speaking at a Manila media conference, said the airline expects passenger volumes to increase by 10% to 20% over the next year. He cited the return of previously grounded aircraft as key to meeting this growth.
Philippine Airlines operates a fleet of 79 aircraft, with two more expected to be inducted this year. The carrier has additional aircraft on order, including 13 A321-200Ns and nine A350-1000s. The first A350-1000s, delayed slightly from mid-2025, will arrive later this year for deployment on North American routes, with Europe also under consideration. The A321neo deliveries will start in 2026.
In addition to the A321-200s, Philippine Airlines operates six A321-200Ns, two A321-200NX, eleven A330-300s, two A350-900s, and ten Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline, which reported PHP10.22 billion (USD180.4 million) in net income for 2024, anticipates carrying 18 million passengers in 2025.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com