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Philippine Airlines returns to Beijing after 16 yearsManila, Philippines - October 24, 2005 Philippine Airlines (PAL), the Philippines flag carrier, will begin a regular service to Beijing on 11 November 2005, linking the country to the political and cultural heart of China, and a third gateway to one of the world's most dynamic tourist markets.
The return service, PR 359, departs Beijing on the same days at 12:55 p.m. and arrives in Manila at 5:15 p.m. Philippine Airlines will be returning to Beijing after 16 years, the long absence reflecting the giant strides the Chinese capital - and the nation at large - have taken in the last decade and a half. PAL was the first Asian Airline to operate scheduled flights to China. It first flew to Beijing August 1, 1979. At that time, the city was called Peking, and China was an austere, closed society that had little contact with the outside world. That pioneering service lasted until June 1989, when it was suspended for commercial reasons. Today, Beijing is a cosmopolitan city of 7.2 million people and presides over the world's fastest-growing economy, which has transformed China into a regional superpower with increasing global clout. Beijing is PAL's third destination in China. The airline already operates a daily service to Shanghai and four-times-weekly flights to Xiamen in southern Fujian province. Beijing provides Philippine Airlines a bigger platform from which to access a burgeoning tourist market. The World Tourism Organization estimates that the number of Chinese traveling overseas will soar from the current 10 million a year to 50 million by 2010, and to 100 million by 2020. This will make China the leading source of tourists worldwide. The Philippines has yet to take advantage of this market. In the first six months of 2005, the country welcomed 55,426 visitors from China (compared to 328,673 from the top-ranked United States), indicating immense potential for expansion. The addition of Beijing extends the PAL international network to 26 points in 14 countries and territories. The airline also flies to 19 points in the Philippines.
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