Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that it will add a third weekly nonstop frequency to its Manila to Toronto route starting April 5, 2024, increasing the airline’s capacity to 50 percent to serve passengers headed to the Canadian region.
The airline explained that the additional flights were in response to the growing demand for travel to and from the Canadian East Coast region, in order to boost businesses and tourist travel flows between the countries.
Currently, PAL’s twice-weekly Manila-Toronto-Manila service runs every Wednesday and Sunday. A new Friday schedule will begin from April 5, 2024, as follows:
PR118 Manila – Toronto (Wednesday/Friday/Sunday)
Departs Manila – 04:35 PM
Arrives in Toronto – 08:00 PM (same day).
PR119 Toronto – Manila (Wednesday/Friday/Sunday)
Departs Toronto – 11:30 PM
Arrives in Manila – 3:45 AM (+2 days)
Toronto is home to 350,000 ethnic Filipinos, the biggest Filipino community in the Ontario province. More flights will provide travelers with flexible options to schedule their travel plans.
“Our expansion of flights to Toronto highlights the importance of the Canadian market in the Philippine Airlines network. We want to make it easier for businesses to establish commercial relations, for Canadians to plan holiday trips to the Philippines, and for Filipino Canadians to visit their families back in the homeland,” said PAL’s Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Eric David Anderson.
Anderson added that Canada is among the “top ten sources of foreign tourists to the Philippines, with more than 180,000 Canadians visiting the Philippines during the first ten months of 2023.”
“The additional flight comes at a most auspicious time. This will allow more opportunities for the over one million Filipino Canadians to visit home in a convenient manner. At the same time, this will also serve the growing number of Filipino international students coming to Canada, as well as the Filipino tourists who benefit from Canada’s electronic travel authorization,” noted Philippine Ambassador to Canada Maria Andrelita Austria.
Greater Toronto Airports Authority Chief Commercial Officer Khalil Lamrabet added that, “with this additional flight, more passengers will be able to fly directly, reducing their total travel time by more than 25 percent compared to a connecting itinerary."
PAL is the only airline with nonstop flights between the Philippines and Canada, with access points in Vancouver directly with the airline, and flights to Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Calgary made available through its codeshare partner WestJet.
The airline uses the new-generation Airbus A350-900 that can accommodate 295 passengers, with 30 passengers in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy, and 241 in Economy.