Philippine Airlines’ new 777 business class

Philippine Airlines will upgrade its workhorse Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 jets with new business class suites, potentially using the same design as will debut on its forthcoming Airbus A350-1000 fleet.

The first A350-1000 is due to be delivered in the coming weeks, although that could be pushed back from December to January, says Philippine Airlines President Richard Nuttall.

“We are still waiting for Airbus to give the final delivery date,” Nuttall told reporters on the sidelines of a recent aviation forum at Manila.

The airline has ordered nine of the long-legged A350s which will fly to key destinations in the United States and Canada, starting with New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto.

Philippine Airlines' new A350-1000 business class.
Marc Difuntorum

Read more: Philippine Airlines reveals new A350 business class

An upgrade to Philippine Airlines’ Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 fleet is also on the way, as part of a wide-ranging fleet modernisation program.

Nuttall said this won’t begin until late 2027, however.

“It is going to probably take about three years before we can start,” adding that Philippine Airlines faces “the same supply chain issues” as the rest of the industry.

“As soon as those seats are available, we will be refurbishing and we are looking at doing it on 330s and 777s.”

The refurbishment program is estimated at $14-$15 million for the A330s alone, more for the Boeing 777, Nuttall added: “a lot of money, but cheaper than buying new aircraft.”

Philippine Airlines’ single-aisle Airbus A321 jets are also being fitted with new business and economy seats to improve the passenger experience on flights throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The 12 business class seats retain a 2-2 layout but with increased pitch from 37” to 45”, with a deep 10” recline (up from the previous 6”).

Philippine Airlines' new A321ceo business class.
Miguel R. Camus

The reconfigured economy cabin sacrifices five seats in the name of business class comfort, from 187 seats down to 182, but still with the same 30” pitch and 5” recline.

Philippine Airlines' new A321ceo economy class.
Miguel R. Camus

For many passengers, the most significant change will be the introduction of seatback video screens (13.3” in business and 10.1” in economy) and USB charging outlets.

Philippine Airlines' new A321ceo business class.
Miguel R. Camus

Three A321s will go under the knife this year, with nine to follow in 2026 and the final six in 2027.

These are older A321ceo ‘classic’ models, compared to the latest A321neo series which sports lie-flat business class seats – albeit still in a paired 2-2 layout.

Philippine Airlines' A321neo business class.
Collins Aerospace / Philippine Airlines

Both the original and new A321s will help Philippine Airlines tap into increasing demand for domestic and regional flights, with the country’s ‘second city’ of Cebu being developed into “a true inter-island and international hub,” noted Chief Operating Officer Carlos Luis Fernandez.

“This means not only operating long-haul flights but also expanding domestic services that feed into our international waves.”