26/07/2026
WILL PAL ORDER 737 MAXs AFTER THEY ORDERED 787s?
Personally, I highly doubt it. Philippine Airlines ordering the Boeing 787-10 does not mean that it will also order the 737 MAX for its narrowbody fleet.
PAL still has 13 A321neos to be delivered for its international and regional network. The airline is also retrofitting all 18 of its A321ceos. PAL confirmed that it completed three A321ceo retrofits in 2025, although the exact number completed as of today still needs confirmation.
The domestic fleet presents a different situation. PAL Express currently maintains only one jet family, which is the Airbus A320 family. A future domestic jet order would most likely involve either continuing with the A320 family or replacing it completely with the 737 family.
For me, continuing with the A320 family makes more sense. PAL has already invested in an Airbus A320 full-flight simulator for its A320 and A321 pilots. It also has an Airbus Procedure Trainer, trained pilots, qualified cabin crew, maintenance personnel, spare parts, ground equipment, operating procedures, and software designed around the Airbus fleet.
PAL also has a long-term maintenance support agreement with Airbus covering 43 A320-family aircraft. This includes component support, repairs, engineering services, and spare parts stored at PAL’s main base in Manila. PAL and PAL Express also use Airbus predictive-maintenance software across their Airbus fleet.
A complete move to the 737 MAX would require PAL to invest in another simulator or obtain simulator slots from an outside training center. PAL would also need new pilot qualifications, cabin crew training, maintenance programs, spare parts, support equipment, software, manuals, and operating procedures.
A transition period would also require PAL Express to operate both the A320 and 737 families until it retires the older Airbus aircraft. That overlap could last several years. PAL would need two groups of qualified pilots and technical personnel during that period, even if the airline eventually plans to operate only the 737 family.
Aircraft substitutions would also become more complicated during the transition. Crews qualified for the A320 family cannot automatically operate the 737 MAX, and crews qualified for the 737 MAX cannot automatically operate the A320 family. PAL would need to match every replacement aircraft with properly qualified pilots and cabin crew.
The Philippine domestic market is also a “low-cost” market in the sense that many passengers prioritize lower fares. Cebu Pacific and Cebgo carried more than half of the country’s domestic passengers in 2025. PAL therefore needs to control its operating costs as it competes with low-cost airlines while maintaining its full-service product.
PAL Express currently keeps its domestic fleet relatively simple. It uses the A320 family for jet operations and the Dash 8-400 for smaller interisland routes. PAL may deploy A321s and A330s on selected domestic flights, but the A320 family remains the main jet platform of PAL Express.
I also see similar fleet planning in PAL’s widebody decision. PAL selected the Boeing 787-10 to replace the A330-300 instead of operating both the 787-10 and A330neo for similar roles. The airline chose the aircraft that it believed could meet its passenger, cargo, and route requirements.
This is why I personally highly doubt that PAL will choose the 737 MAX for its domestic fleet. Boeing could present a proposal, but PAL has already invested heavily in the A320 family. I think PAL will most likely order A320neo-family aircraft for the future replacement and expansion of its domestic jet fleet.
