Air Philippines will operate eight Bombardier turboprop aircraft leased from Philippine Airlines (PAL) effective October 27, 2009.

The turboprop fleet will fly to 19 towns and cities, operating out of two hubs – Manila and Cebu. The airline will follow a new business model focusing on delivering safe, affordable and quality service.

A new management team was appointed to implement the airline’s new business model. David Lim, Air Philippines’ new president, and Cesar Chiong, EVP and COO, were tasked to fast track the airline’s conversion to a low-cost business model using a leaner workforce.

The turboprop fleet consists of the state-of-the-art Canadian-built Bombardier Q-series that boasts of the latest in noise and vibration reduction technology. The 50-seater Q300 and 76-seater Q400 aircraft offer generous legroom and a very quiet cabin. “Q” stands for “quiet.”

Air Philippines serves the following destinations out of its hub in Manila: Tuguegarao, San Jose (Mindoro Occidental), Naga, Virac, Busuanga, Catarman, Calbayog, Ormoc and Surigao. From Cebu, Air Philippines flies to Kalibo, Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, Butuan, Ozamiz, Cagayan de Oro, Gen. Santos, Zamboanga and from Zamboanga to Davao.

Operations to Caticlan for Boracay traffic will resume as soon as runway improvements are completed. Additional cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are being evaluated for future operations.

All Air Philippines flights are code-shared with Philippine Airlines with the latter as the marketing carrier. Tickets issued by PAL will be accepted for carriage.