New Route of the Day – Americas (29 March 2026): Philippine Airlines between Manila and Saipan
Philippine Airlines introduced operations between Manila and Saipan, the capital of the US territory of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, on Sunday 29 March. Flights will be maintained 2-weekly, on Wednesdays and Sundays, with the A321 aircraft. The carrier faces no competition on the route.
Flight PR2571 departs Manila at 19:45 local time, arriving in Saipan at 01:45 local time the following morning. The return service, operating as flight PR2572, will leave Saipan every Monday and Thursday at 02:50 local time, touching back down in the Philippines at 05:05 local time.
What they said
Bryan Sansolis, Regional Manager for Japan, Korea and Oceania at Philippine Airlines, said: “As we were reviewing our network, we saw an opportunity on Saipan. We recognise that the linkage of Saipan to the other places in the world is kind of limited right now. So, we saw that there’s a gap on that part, and we saw PAL providing value to that gap. Given that our schedule is a red-eye flight, it actually connects to a lot of domestic Philippines services and also most of our Asian flights. PAL is working with the Marianas Visitors Authority to attract Japanese and Chinese travellers.”
Bart Jackson, Chair of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, added: “The return of a legacy carrier adds stature to the islands aviation profile. It’s prestigious for us to be able to welcome back Philippine Airlines. It offers our people of Saipan more accessibility to all kinds of routes worldwide.”
Philippine Airlines with seven US destinations
The new service to Saipan joins Philippine Airlines’ US network, which includes Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York JFK, Seattle, Guam and Honolulu. Operations between Cebu and Guam have been temporarily suspended due to an ongoing energy crisis in the Philippines. Despite broader uncertainty, the airline said it has sufficient fuel and operational capacity to sustain the new Saipan route and plans additional promotions following the inaugural flight.
Philippine Airlines returns to Saipan following a nine-year hiatus. The carrier previously served the city in 2016 and 2017.
Six airlines now serving Saipan
The Northern Mariana Islands are a group of islands in the western Pacific Ocean and form a commonwealth in political union with the US. Located north of Guam, they consist of 14 islands, with Saipan, Tinian and Rota being the most populated. The islands are known for their tropical climate, scenic beaches and significant World War II history. Tourism, along with financial support from the US, plays a key role in the local economy.
Saipan Airport is now served by six carriers. In addition to Philippine Airlines, they include United (Guam and Tokyo NRT), T’way Air (Seoul ICN), Star Marinas Air (Rota and Tinian), Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong) and Jeju Air (Seoul ICN).
