PAL president was pilot-in-command of presidential flight to ASEAN summit

Last week, Philippine Airlines President and COO Capt. Stanley K. Ng was the pilot-in-command of the PAL flight that took President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and the official delegation of the Philippines to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the ASEAN 2022 Summit.

Ng is the first active pilot to serve as the top executive of the flag carrier since the 1960s, having ascended to the PAL presidency after an 18-year career in the airline.

On 9 November, he accepted the responsibility of piloting the country's head of state on the 2.5-hour flight from Manila to the capital city of Cambodia.

Ng said it was an honor and a privilege for him and his crew to serve as the pilots of this presidential flight, and he is truly grateful for the trust and confidence. They were 100-percent focused on making sure that the President and his team had a safe and pleasant journey, seeing it as another opportunity to be of service to the nation by flying the flag on an important mission.

Capt. Antonio Salgado Jr. and Capt. Gallardo Ibarra Jr. assisted Ng in the flight deck of Flight PR 001, and pursers Monique Francois Gloria and Aimee Vijandre were in charge of the seven flight attendants.

The presidential flight departed at 5:15 PM on 9 November from NAIA Terminal 2. While in the air en route to Cambodia, the President conducted interviews with the media traveling onboard.

PR001 touched down at the Phnom Penh International Airport at 6:47 p.m. Cambodian local time.

While in Phnom Penh, the President attended his first ASEAN leaders meeting and met with the leaders of other partner nations.

On 13 November, at 8:46 p.m., the presidential delegation took off for home, again under the command of Ng and his crew, and reached Manila at 12:14 a.m. local time.

Ng joined PAL in 2003 as an airport customer relations staffer. He then took his cadet pilot training at the PAL aviation school and joined the pilot roster as a second officer in 2006. He rose through the ranks, eventually serving as Chief Pilot of the PAL Airbus A320/A321 fleet.

Ng joined the flag carrier's top management team as Senior Vice President of the Operations Group before his appointment to the position of President and COO in January 2022.

PAL has been flying Philippine presidents on overseas journeys since the first state mission carrying President Elpidio Quirino in August 1949.