Philippine Airlines
IATAPR ICAOPAL
- Founded
- 26 February 1941While the airline considers 1941 as its founding year, its earliest predecessor—the Philippine Aerial Taxi Company (PATCO), from which it acquired its operating franchise—was established nearly 11 years earlier, on 3 December 1930.
- Callsign
- PHILIPPINE
- Headquarters
- Lucio K. Tan Jr. Center, Andrews Avenue, Pasay, NCR, Philippines
- Hubs and bases
- Ninoy Aquino International Airport
About the airline
Philippine Airlines (PAL; Spanish: Líneas Aéreas Filipinas) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. The airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Philippine Airlines launched its first flight on March 15, 1941, using a Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft from Manila to Baguio. After a brief suspension during World War II, the airline resumed operations in 1946 and became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific, with a flight from Manila to Oakland, United States. PAL was designated as the country's flag carrier in the late 1940s and expanded rapidly in the decades that followed. In 1966, PAL was privatized when then-chairman Benigno Toda Jr. acquired a majority stake. However, in 1977, the airline was re-nationalized when the Government Service Insurance System obtained the majority of its shares. The airline underwent privatization again in 1992, when it was purchased by a group led by Antonio Cojuangco. Subsequent ownership changes occurred, with businessman Lucio Tan eventually becoming the majority stockholder in the mid-1990s. Over the years, PAL has undergone periods of expansion and restructuring, responding to economic downturns, fuel price volatility, and regional competition.…
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