PAL PLANS INDIA RETURN AFTER 13 YEARS

Philippine Airlines wants to fly to India again.

After roughly 13 years away, the flag carrier plans to restore direct flights between Manila and India by December, according to the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi.

This time, PAL is looking at two cities.

New Delhi and Mumbai.

The flights would be nonstop. The plan still needs regulatory approvals.

The embassy announced the planned return following a recent meeting between Philippine Ambassador to India Josel Ignacio and PAL executives, including president Richard Nuttall.

PAL last served New Delhi in 2013.

Since then, passengers traveling between the Philippines and India have generally had to connect through another Asian hub.

A direct flight would cut that out.

And there are plenty of people to fly.

India has more than 1.4 billion people and is one of the world’s biggest potential sources of outbound travelers.

The Philippines has been trying to attract more Indian tourists, while ties between the two countries have also grown in business, education and defense.

New Delhi would restore PAL’s old connection. Mumbai would give the airline a second gateway into India’s biggest commercial center.

The embassy said restoring direct air connectivity has been a priority. It expects the routes to help tourism, business and people-to-people links between the two countries.