PAL lands in London after 15 years
LONDON—Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) resumed commercial flights to Europe for the first time in 15 years via Heathrow airport in London, the first of a small group of European cities that the airline plans to fly to by next year. In 2014, PAL intends to acquire a new gateway via Frankfurt in Germany, and also fly to Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. The maiden flight to London (PR 720) arrived at a little past 1500 GMT on Monday (11 p.m. Monday in Manila) and was welcomed by a traditional British water gun salute followed by a brief welcome ceremony at the Royal Suite, the salon at Heathrow airport that is used by British royalty, diplomats, politicians and VIP guests.