Changing with the Times
The airline introduces more routes into its network, making Manila a true crossroads of Asia and a gateway between the East and West. A 1974 merger makes PAL the sole flag carrier of the Philippines. PAL acquires its first widebody aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, in a quest to compete more effectively on the highly contested trans-Pacific route.
1970's Milestones
April 03, 1971
PAL carried its 20 millionth passenger onboard PR158, a BAC One Eleven service from Cebu to Manila.
September 10, 1971
PAL expanded Australian operations with a new weekly service to Melbourne via Sydney.
October 29, 1971
PAL's first BAC One Eleven series 500 "Super PALJET" with registry PI-C1161 arrived in Manila, after a three-day journey from London.
March 27, 1972
PAL Capt. Oscar "O.D." D. Ramos became the first Filipino pilot to reach the mandatory age of retirement of 60. A DC-8 captain, he logged almost 25,000 hours in a career spanning 33 years, starting as a co-pilot in the Beech Model 18 before World War II. He was one of the two first Filipinos to become airline pilots.
May 04, 1972
PAL’s McDonnell Douglas Super DC-8, a “stretched” version of the long-range jetliner, operated its first trans-Pacific service to San Francisco carrying 179 passengers.
December 19, 1972
Capt. Eduardo S. Nepomuceno became the first PAL pilot to achieve 25,000 flying hours. He had been with PAL since May 1947 and ranked fifth in the seniority list. He piloted the BAC One Eleven.
January 01, 1974
PAL became the sole scheduled domestic airline after taking over the operations of Air Manila and Filipinas Orient Airways. The Government’s new One-Airline Policy assigned 50 destinations across the country to PAL.
July 17, 1974
The Widebody Age. PAL commenced McDonnell Douglas DC-10 service to San Francisco via Honolulu.
March 22, 1976
PAL reached the 30,000,000 mark in revenue passengers carried. The 30 millionth passenger flew onboard PR113, from Manila to Davao.
November 02, 1976
All-PAL service to Europe began with a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flight to Amsterdam Schiphol via Karachi. This followed the end of PAL’s joint service arrangements with the Dutch carrier KLM on November 1st.
November 3, 1977
A special stockholder’s meeting was held to approve the increase of the authorized capital of PAL from PHP 25 million to PHP 250 million, which led the return of the airline to government control, 13 years after it was privatized. Government now owned 99.4% of PAL.
April 01, 1977
New weekly DC-8 services to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta increased PAL’s network to 15 international points, including six Asian routes.
November 30, 1979
PAL accepted its first twin-engine widebody aircraft, the Airbus A300, dubbed “The Love Bus”. This kicks off a mutually productive relationship with the European planemaker Airbus.
December 24, 1979
PAL closed the decade by receiving its first Boeing 747-200 “jumbo jet”, which flew in from the U.S. carrying 3,500 toys and 50 cases of apples as Christmas gifts for orphans and sick children in Manila.