PAL's 'first' commercial flight departs

Aviation Updates Philippines – National flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, sent off its first post-COVID-19 commercial flight on Monday as it gradually restarts flight operations this month. According to PAL, the lockdown was the longest operational pause in its history since World War II.

The first commercial flight is PR-104, a Boeing 777-300ER service bound for San Francisco. In command of the flight is Captain Juanito Angeles, assisted by First Officer Joshua Barraquias and Second Officers Jibben Christopher Ortega and Filemon Francis Mamaril III.

RP-C7777, coincidentally the first Boeing 777 for PAL, departed from Manila at 10:11 pm local time. Aboard the flight are 292 passengers mostly American nationals and foreign tourists who were stranded given the community quarantine.

As of writing, the flight is still en-route and only a few hours away from touchdown. 

PAL announced late-May it will resume flight operations to select international and domestic destinations as early as June 1, 2020. However, domestic flight resumption was pushed back to June 8, 2020, pending approval from the IATF-EID, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board.

To view the flight schedule and select destinations PAL will be operating to, click here.

Photo from Cielo Villaluna, Philippine Airlines