PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) has become the first Asia-Pacific carrier to order both families of Airbus Industrie wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, giving the European manufacturing consortium its biggest order of 1995.
The airline last week placed orders for 24 Airbus aircraft and eight Boeing jets in deals valued at US$2.7 billion.
They included four ultra long-range A340-300s, eight medium-to long-range A330-300s and 12 A320s. PAL also ordered eight 747-400 jumbos from Boeing.
Gulf Air is the only other airline to have ordered all three Airbus aircraft. The narrow-body A320 and the long-haul A340 have similar cockpit characteristics allowing for easier training of crew.
Cathay Pacific Airways is still the world's only airline to be operating both the A330 and A340, however, as the Gulf Air and PAL orders are still to be delivered.
Deliveries of PAL's new aircraft will begin in the second quarter of 1997.