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PAL RESUMES PUSAN FLIGHTS TODAY

Manila, July 15, 2000 - Philippine Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said yesterday it will resume direct service between Manila and Pusan in South Korea starting today (Saturday). The airline said it will service the route four times a week using 150-seat Airbus 320-200 aircraft.

The Manila-Pusan routes is a key channel for Filipino mariners who travel to one of Asia’s busiest commercial ports.

Pusan is the flag carrier’s second destination in South Korea after Seoul.

The route is popular with Filipino sailors and merchant marine crews who use the city, South Korea’s top international trade port, as a jump-off point for ship sailings.

Philippine Airlines was forced to abandon many of its overseas and domestic routes after suffering a financial crisis two years ago. It has slowly resumed flights to key cities around the world in line with a rehabilitation program which has successfully put the airline in the black for the first time in years.