PAL to revive flights to Saipan next year

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December 13, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is preparing an all-out expansion to the West next year, as it will reinstate Manila flights to Saipan to add another US destination to its network.

PAL is lining up another expansion in the transPacific market by announcing the resumption of Manila flights to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, which is a US territory.

PAL will start flying to Saipan on March 29, 2026, offering the flight on a twice weekly schedule with an Airbus A321 on a twin configuration of business and economy class.

Saipan is also PAL’s latest addition to its Pacific Islands network. The airline reaches the Pacific Islands through Guam and Honolulu, and will start flying to Palau by March 2026.

Saipan is the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands and is home to marine attractions such as sandy beaches like Micro Beach and dive spots like The Grotto. Saipan will also become PAL’s seventh destination in the US.

Currently, PAL reaches the US through Guam, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, making it the largest carrier flying the Philippines-US corridor.

PAL president Richard Nuttall said the airline is expanding its reach here and overseas to offer its guests new destinations that they can go to.

Locally, PAL is relaunching widebody flights to Puerto Princesa, deploying the Airbus A330-300 to the capital city of Palawan to offer more seats per trip.

The A330 can carry as many as 363 passengers on a triple configuration of business, comfort and economy cabins. By segment, the A330 is set up with 18 seats for business class, 33 for comfort class and 312 for economy class.

PAL senior vice president for operations group Roland Narciso said the A330 would be deployed to Puerto Princesa thrice a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting Dec. 17. He added the use of a widebody jet adds comfort to passengers headed to the city.

“Utilizing our widebody fleet on flights to Puerto Princesa will enhance operational efficiency, improve overall customer satisfaction and provide Palawan residents more opportunities as well to explore the Philippines and the rest of the world,” Narciso said.

Prior to this, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific assigned the A330 for its Puerto Princesa flights, too, in response to the growing demand for Palawan trips.