A former Garuda Indonesia Boeing 777-3U3ER, which has long been anticipated to join Philippine Airlines’ fleet, touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) just after midnight on April 1, 2024.
The aircraft, bearing Manufacturer’s Serial Number (MSN) 29146 and locally registered as RP-C7783, completed a non-stop 15-hour and 16-minute journey from Victorville, California.
RP-C7783 will replace the outgoing RP-C7776, whose lease agreement has expired.
Upon arrival in Manila, the newly acquired aircraft was already sporting PAL’s iconic Eurowhite livery.
According to sources, PAL has opted to retain the cabin configuration from Garuda Indonesia, at least for now. The configuration features 27 seats in business class and 367 seats in economy class.
Moreover, the decision not to reconfigure means that passengers can expect a more comfortable and spacious business class experience, with Garuda Indonesia’s 1-2-1 seating layout in contrast to PAL’s current 2-3-2 configuration on its Boeing 777 fleet.
This new addition marks the first of two ex-Garuda Boeing 777s joining PAL’s fleet, with the second aircraft (MSN 29147) expected to arrive soon.
To further bolster its widebody fleet, PAL is also expecting to receive the first of nine Airbus A350-1000 XWB in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Leave a Reply