MANILA – Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific have asked regulators for more or new flight allocations to Saudi Arabia following successful air service talks late last month, Manila BusinessWorld reported Sunday, quoting a Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) official. “So far, PAL and Cebu Pacific are the ones which have filed applications," Ma. Alben S. L. Moro, head of CAB's Hearing and Examiners Division, said. CAB documents showed Cebu Pacific has asked for 14 flights per week “between points in the Philippines and Jeddah/Riyadh" and seven flights per week “between any point in the Philippines and Dammam," to start by late 2013. The same documents showed PAL has asked for seven flights per week between Manila and Riyadh by March 31 next year; seven flights a week between Manila and Jeddah by May 19 and seven flights a week between Manila and Dammam by July 20. PAL, the only Philippine carrier with flight allocation to Saudi Arabia so far, stopped flights in March last year Shares of PAL Holdings, Inc. shed nine centavos to P5.75 apiece on Friday, while those of Cebu Air, Inc. gained five centavos to P57.10 apiece the same day. – SG
