Philippine Airlines Touches Down In Riyadh

Inaugural flight to Riyadh welcomed by Filipino expatriates; PAL to fly Manila – Riyadh sector four times a week.

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, March 29, 2010: Philippines Airlines (PAL) announced that they have begun operating four nonstop flights every week from Manila to Riyadh from March 28, 2010. The Filipino expatriate community welcomed their national carrier’s inaugural flight to Riyadh on Sunday, which marked the return of the airline to the Kingdom after four years.

Kanoo Travel, the general sales agent (GSA) for Philippine Airlines in Riyadh, welcomed the carrier’s move to restart its Middle East flight route. Speaking at the inaugural flight ceremony, Mr. Abdulla Abo Khamseen, Executive General Manager, Kanoo Travel, said, “We are happy Philippine Airlines has recommenced its flights to Riyadh. The Kingdom has a significant number of Filipino expatriates and this move will definitely benefit them. They can now save time by taking direct flights home. We are confident that Philippine Airlines will do well on this sector and will benefit from the future growth in the Region. We will provide all the facilities and support to ensure the same.

“The Filipino community forms a large part of Saudi Arabia’s work force and contributes immensely to the local economy. The Philippines national carrier’s decision to recommence flights to the Kingdom also demonstrates the close bond between the two countries and their keen interest in serving their nationals in the region by offering direct flights back home” he added.

The Philippines is also a popular destination for holiday makers who would appreciate a nice mix of tropical beaches, shopping, night life and adventure. “We believe that Philippines has great potential of being a preferred holiday destination for expatriates and Saudi nationals too. The direct flights will be a key factor in promoting the Philippines in this market,” added Mr. Roland Bunge, General Manager – Commercial, Kanoo Travel.

Philippine Airlines will be offering customers non-stop service four times weekly departing from Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The return flight from Riyadh will be every Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. The carrier will deploy Boeing 747-400 aircraft, which can seat 50 passengers in Business Class and 383 in Economy Class for this route.

About Kanoo Travel:
The Kanoo family's involvement in air travel goes back to 1937 when the company provided refueling facilities in Bahrain for Imperial Airways seaplanes on route to India and Australia. In 1947 Kanoo Travel became the first IATA agency in the Gulf and in 1997 they became the very first Travel Company in the Middle East to receive the ISO certification.
Today, Kanoo Travel is the largest travel company in the Middle East, with a team of travel specialists operating a network of over 170 offices in the region and through a global network of world-class travel partners. Kanoo Travel provides the most comprehensive and specialised services in the travel industry with unmatched quality awards and achievements that guarantees the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Kanoo Travel provides its services in five main specialised areas:
• Kanoo Corporate - Business Travel Services
• Kanoo Retail- Travel Services for the individual travelers.
• Kanoo Holidays - For all type Leisure Travel
• Kanoo Marine - Marine and Offshore Travel Services.
GSA's- General Sales Agents for international airlines.

For further information, please visit www.kanootravel.com

Feroz Bahar
Assistant Marketing Manager - UAE & OMAN
Kanoo Travel
Kanoo Building, Khalid Bin Walid Street, Bur Dubai
Dubai
UAE
Tel: +971 45072474
Email: asstmktgmgr@kanoo.ae

This release was published on openPR.