PAL resumes flights to Riyadh

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April 10, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is maximizing the conditional ceasefire in the Middle East to resume its direct flights between Manila and Riyadh starting today.

In an advisory, PAL announced the resumption of daily flights between Manila and Riyadh after suspending the service for several weeks following the US-Israel attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

PAL said to prioritize the safety of passengers and crew, the flight will pass through an alternate route to avoid risky areas in the Middle East.

“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our foremost priority. As Riyadh operations resume, PAL will temporarily operate through an alternate flight route to ensure that the highest safety standards are maintained during the period,” PAL said.

Further, PAL is turning select flights into a one-stop service. The stop will be made in Bangkok for refueling, probably because the alternate route would require longer flight time.

“No deplaning is required, and passengers will remain on board while the aircraft refuels before continuing to Riyadh,” PAL said.

The Lucio Tan-owned airline said it would continue to monitor the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and resume direct services to the region as soon as it is safe to do so.

PAL will become the country’s first carrier to reinstate direct flights to the Middle East, which is home to the vast majority of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, at least one in five OFWs are deployed to Saudi Arabia as of 2024. Likewise, there are hundreds of thousands of OFWs in the United Arab Emirates, especially in Dubai, while some are working in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

The resumption of Riyadh flights comes at a time when Tehran and Washington have agreed to a conditional ceasefire for two weeks. Iran is authorizing the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, a development that could partly improve oil pricing and supply.

However, PAL’s daily flights to Doha and Dubai remain suspended until May 31, as it errs on the side of caution in the midst of airspace closures and disruptions.

Prior to the recent escalation in Middle East tensions, PAL was flying daily to Doha, Dubai and Riyadh, making it the largest Philippine carrier operating in the region.