PAL shifts to luxury travel, to fly to Maldives, Palau

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is shifting strategy toward premium leisure, planning regular flights to Maldives and Palau.

PAL requested the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for flight allocation of entitlements to the Maldives under the Philippines-Maldives Air Services Agreement signed in 2018.

The agreement allows each country’s designated carriers an initial weekly entitlement of 1,200 seats between Manila and the Maldivian capital, Malé.

PAL’s move aims to capitalize on the increasing travel demand to the Maldives, an island nation renowned for its stunning white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and unique marine life.

According to Maldives Immigration, tourist arrivals from the Philippines totaled 5,874 from January to September of this year.

PAL also applied for flight entitlements to Palau under the Philippines-Palau Air Services Agreement.

Palau is world-renowned for its pristine marine environment, including the famous Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), diverse coral reefs and the unique Jellyfish Lake.

Data from Palau Visitors Authority showed that tourist arrivals from the Philippines totaled just 258 for the first four months of this year.

PAL earlier said it is expanding its flight schedules and capacity across key international routes, deploying larger aircraft and adding dozens of frequencies to meet surging holiday travel demand from late 2025 to early 2026.

The airline is increasing its flights from Manila to Perth in Australia, Busan in South Korea, Sapporo and Narita in Japan; Narita; Seattle in the U.S. as well as from Cebu to Guam.