Philippine Airlines (PAL) is joining the oneworld alliance. The announcement was made on June 6, 2026, during the 82nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Philippine flag carrier will, therefore, become the 16th member of oneworld, bringing to the alliance 31 new destinations and additional connectivity options in the Asia-Pacific region.
During the official media briefing announcing the accession of Philippine Airlines, American Airlines CEO and oneworld chairman, Robert Isom, highlighted that the new member of the alliance aligns perfectly with oneworld’s goal of being the most premium-oriented of all three major alliances.
Speaking with the media during the event, Philippine Airlines president Richard Nuttall explained how the airline’s successful turnaround after the COVID-19 pandemic had made it an attractive partner for oneworld, which led to the Governing Board of which extended an invitation to join the alliance. The executive also underlined how the airline’s existing collaboration agreements with other carriers made oneworld a rather natural fit, as well.
Nuttall also answered questions from the media about other aspects of Philippine Airlines’ strategy.
He commented, for example, on the very satisfactory performance of the Airbus A350-1000, which he regards as ideal for the carrier’s long-haul missions. Philippine Airlines ordered nine A350-1000s in 2023, and received the first aircraft of this type in December 2025. Nuttall stated the airline expects the delivery of another five aircraft of the type before the end of this year (although he did not rule out the last of these may end up arriving to Manila in early 2027).
When it comes to the carrier’s network, Nuttall explained that, while not ideal, the situation in the Middle East had had a limited impact on the airline, since that region represented around 7% of its capacity before the start of the war.
Nuttall confirmed that, in addition to the planned launch of a new nonstop Manila (MNL) to Chicago (ORD) service, which is expected to start on November 9, 2026, Philippine Airlines is looking at launching two additional destinations in the near future, if the airline obtains all the necessary permits.
While Nuttall didn’t disclose where these new destinations will be, he ruled out, for the time being, expanding into Europe, a market from which Philippine Airlines is totally absent. He explained that, unlike in the United States, the Filipino diaspora in Europe tends to be more price-sensitive and there are many other carriers in-between that are already serving this demand.
