Philippine Airlines is one of the most well known brands in Asian aviation. The airline hasn’t had it easy in the past few years and returning to former glory has proven a real challenge. However, some massively important news comes in these last weeks of December as the airline’s wide body fleet is once again growing. The delivery of the very first A350-1000 is a milestone that could mark a new phase in the airline’s history.
Philippine Airlines receives its second Airbus A350-1000 in May 2026. Here’s a deeper analysis on the impact of the aircraft on PAL operations.
In this post:
- A Major Milestone for Philippine Airlines’ Fleet Renewal
- The First Airbus A350-1000 Arrives in Manila
- From A350-900 to A350-1000: A New Flagship Aircraft
- Philippine Airlines’ A350 Fleet: Past, Present, and Future
- Why the A350-1000 Matters for PAL’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
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A Major Milestone for Philippine Airlines’ Fleet Renewal
Finally, after challenging years, Philippine Airlines, one of Asia’s most iconic aviation brands, has started to grow its wide body fleet once again. PAL (Philippine Airlines) has received its very first Airbus A350-1000, which it has registered RP-C3510.
The aircraft landed in Manila’s NAIA on December 20th 2025, after the delivery ceremony held in Toulouse yesterday. This not only is PAL’s first Airbus A350-1000 but is also the first delivered to an airline based in Southeast Asia.
The aircraft is part of an order Philippine Airlines had placed with Airbus back in May 2023. As part of that deal the airline purchased from Airbus a total of 9 A350-1000s of which RP-C3510 is the first to be delivered. Therefore, other 8 aircraft of the same type and variant will follow in coming years.
The First Airbus A350-1000 Arrives in Manila
The arrival of the first A350-1000 is an event of massive importance for this carrier. It enables it to look at 2026 with a more ambitious outlook and plan new services with more long-range capable aircraft at its disposal.
Additionally the aircraft comes with a new redesigned cabin interior which will also make traveling PAL more attractive. That’ll be even more the case as more of those remaining 8 A350-1000 arrive.
Philippine Airlines’ A350-1000 feature a 3 class configuration fitted with:
| Cabin | Seats | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Business Class | 42 | 1-2-1 |
| Premium Economy | 24 | 2-4-2 |
| Economy | 316 | 3-4-3 |
The arrival of the first Philippine Airlines Airbus A350-1000 brings the total number of aircraft in the fleet to 82.
From A350-900 to A350-1000: A New Flagship Aircraft
The addition of these 9 Airbus A350-1000 will make the A350 family the flagship aircraft of the PAL fleet. The airline will certainly gradually deploy these new planes on its most important, long and strategic routes replacing the currently used, and aging, fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs.
Philippine Airlines’ A350 Fleet: Past, Present, and Future
With this arrival Philippine Airlines is once again growing its wide body fleet. The airline only has 2 A350-900s right now but that wasn’t the case prior to 2021. Prior to covid bringing the aviation industry, and much of the world, to a standstill PAL had a total of 6 A350-900s.
Four were then sold off to Lufthansa to make ends meet during that challenging period. Those planes are still operating for the German carrier under their new registration numbers:
- D-AIVA (originally RP-C3503)
- D-AIVB (originally RP-C3504)
- D-AIVC (originally RP-C3506)
- D-AIVD (originally RP-C3507)
The unfortunate events of 2020 forced PAL to backtrack on its initial fleet modernization plan. Plan that is now back on track with the carrier ordering and receiving the larger variant of the A350 aircraft family.
Why the A350-1000 Matters for PAL’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
The A350-1000 will enable PAL to plan for growth once again. The airline will be able to compete on level terms with other airlines in terms of onboard product which is of massive importance in the current aviation industry where innovating soft and hard product are of key importance. Additionally the sheer range capabilities of the A350-1000 will bring virtually any destination in the world within range for Philippine Airlines. An enticing prospect to reach more untapped large Filipino expat communities across the globe.