Philippine Airlines (PAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the order of six A350-900s, with another six purchase options. The news was announced today at the Singapore Airshow by Jaime J. Bautista, president & COO of Philippine Airlines and Fabrice Brégier, president & CEO of Airbus, but no delivery dates were given.

The carrier will operate the aircraft on non-stop flights from Manila to the US west coast and New York, as well as on services to new destinations in Europe. The aircraft will enable the carrier to operate non-stop service on the 8,000 nautical mile New York – Manila route all year round.

“After a thorough commercial and technical evaluation, the A350 came out on top in meeting our demanding requirements,” said Bautista adding, “the A350’s range capability has been an important factor in our decision, enabling us to offer non-stop service on all our premium long haul routes.”

Philippine Airlines currently operates a fleet of 67 aircraft, the majority of which are Airbus variants. The airline has a pending order of 30 A321 Neo, deliveries of which are expected to begin from fiscal 2017. Part of PAL’s fleet also comprises  A340-300s, which it expects to phase out by FY2018.