By Genivi Factao

National flag carrier Philippine Airlines yesterday said it is buying nine new turbo-propeller aircraft for $150 million to serve its inter-island operations.

The airplanes, set for delivery starting August this year, will complement the carrier’s existing fleet and will be used to maintain its market dominance, PAL said in a statement.

The turbo-prop fleet consists of three Q300 and six Q400 top-of-the-line aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada.

The Q300 and Q400 are part of the manufacturer’s "Q Series" of turbo-props – the Q standing for "quiet," a patented suppression system that reduces cabin noise and vibration levels to nearly those of jetliners.

The aircraft are equipped with two Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engines with maximum ranges of 1,819 kilometers for the Q300 and 2,826 kilometers for the Q400.

PAL said the deliveries of all nine turbo-props would help boost trade, tourism and local economies in the rural-island communities.

"PAL’s renewed foray into turbo-prop operations enables it to expand its network to secondary points not currently served by jet aircraft, which can only operate to the larger provincial airports," the carrier said.

PAL said the new aircraft will give passengers better services and more convenience since most of the small-island airports in the country can only accommodate turbo-prop aircraft.

û #ûFor passengers in these far-flung communities, being part of the PAL system allows them to enjoy seamless connections to the flag carrier’s extensive network of destinations throughout the Philippines, and across Asia, Australia and North America," it said.

PAL said the Q300 and Q400 airplanes have outstanding take-off and landing capabilities even on unprepared airstrips, making them the ideal choice for its services to small provincial airfields.

The pressurized Q300 cabin is configured with 50 seats at a comfortable 32-inch pitch while the slightly larger Q400 seats 76 passengers at a 30-inch pitch, making for low seat-mile costs that are ultimately passed on to passengers in the form of low fares, PAL said.