Air Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Air Philippines
IATA
2P
ICAO
GAP
Callsign
ORIENT PACIFIC
Founded 1995
Hubs
Fleet size 20
Destinations 16
Parent company Philippine Airlines, Inc.
Headquarters Pasay City, Philippines
Key people
Website: http://www.airphils.com

Air Philippines Corporation is a low-cost airline based in Pasay City, Manila, the Philippines. It operates extensive domestic scheduled services from Manila and Cebu. Its main base is Subic Bay International Airport, with a hub at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila[1].

Contents

[edit] History

[citation needed]

A photo of a B737-200adv at Tuguegarao Airport
A photo of a B737-200adv at Tuguegarao Airport

Air Philippines was incorporated on 13 February 1995, with the base of operations being the former Naval Air Station Cubi Point. Flight operations started on 1 February 1996 with a Boeing 737-200 between Subic Bay, Iloilo and Zamboanga. In April 1996 six NAMC YS-11 aircraft were delivered. In 1997 the airline carried over 675,000 passengers and over 773,000 in 1998. In September 1998 the airline was temporarily grounded by the Philippine Air Transportation Office, but was reactivated when U-Land agreed to purchase a stake. In March 1999, Air Philippines was granted approval to operate international services to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA.

In May 2001 two Boeing 737-300 aircraft were delivered. In mid-2002 charter flights were started from Subic Bay and Laoag City to Hong Kong. Passenger numbers carried rose to nearly 881,000 in 2002. In July 2004 charter flights started from Subic Bay to Guangzhou.[2]

Air Philippines significantly increased ties with Philippine Airlines (PAL), including the merging of frequent flier plans, timetables, and ticket sales. Air Philippines also recently moved into the PAL terminal at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila). Some of PAL's major stockowners are also owners of Air Philippines.[citation needed]Though Air Philippines will officially cease to be part of the Philippine Airlines Frequent Flier Programme "Mabuhay Miles" as of the 1st of October, 2007.[3] Air Philippines has said that they chose to back out of the Mabuhay Miles program to benefit their passengers, so rather than flying numerous flights to gain miles and wait to a certain point to receive bonuses, passengers can benefit with lower fares and more discounts with quicker bonuses, much more like today's modern day low-cost airline.

Air Philippines also boasts a number of regional and international airline awards, Air Philippines has been Awarded as "Most Outstanding Domestic Airline" four times by the Consumers Union of the Philippines[4] and numerous other Regional Awards.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

  • On June 24, 1996, an Air Philippines YS-11 aircraft struck a ground power unit while taxiing at Naga Airport (WNP). The aircraft caught fire. There were no fatalities among the 34 aircraft occupants.[7]

[edit] Destinations

[edit] Fleet

Air Philippines Fleet
Aircraft Total (Firm orders) Passengers
(Economy)
Notes
Boeing 737-200 8 118
Bombardier Dash 8 300 2 50 First aircraft with tail # RP-C3016 arrived Manila on December 11, 2007.
NAMC YS-11 3 64 These aircraft remain unused

[edit] External links

[edit] References