Pacificair

Pacificair is the operating name of Pacific Airways Corporation, a Philippine aviation company associated with charter flying, scheduled passenger services, air-taxi operations, and agricultural aviation. The company was established in 1947 and is based in Manila, with Ninoy Aquino International Airport identified as its principal operating base. Although its origins predate the formal approval of its later operating franchise, the airline’s authority to conduct air services was approved by the Congress of the Philippines on February 23, 1995, through Republic Act No. 7909. Pacificair has operated in a market shaped by the Philippines’ fragmented geography, where air transport connects the capital with islands, provincial centers, tourism destinations, and communities that can be difficult to reach by road or sea. Rather than being positioned as a large-scale flag carrier or mass-market airline, the company’s documented activities have centered on smaller-aircraft operations. These have included passenger services, charter flights, air-taxi work, and agricultural aviation. Its fleet listing from March 2007 identified four Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft, a type suited to short sectors, limited infrastructure, and operations serving smaller airports. The company’s recorded operating history also includes several serious aircraft accidents. In April 1996, a Pacific Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter was involved in a runway collision at Manila International Airport after it had taxied across a runway intersection toward the company hangar. In June 1999, a Britten-Norman Islander crashed near Coron Airport, killing both crew members. In October 2004, another Islander flying from Coron to Puerto Princesa with a live-fish cargo encountered poor weather and struck Mount Tagpao; both crew members died. These incidents form part of the documented safety history of the operator, but the available reference material does not establish a single later date at which Pacificair ceased operations. Publicly available reference information identifies Pacificair as a charter airline that also operates or has operated scheduled passenger flights, air-taxi services, and agricultural work. The company’s present operating status, current fleet, ownership, leadership, route network, and official website are not established by the supplied sources. It should therefore not be treated as definitively active or defunct without more recent regulatory, corporate, or aviation-industry evidence.

Pacificair is the airline brand used by Pacific Airways Corporation, a Philippine aviation operator based in Manila. The company was established in 1947, giving it roots in the early postwar development of commercial aviation in the Philippines. The available reference material does not identify the original founder, initial ownership structure, or the precise routes operated during the company’s first decades. A significant legal milestone came on February 23, 1995, when the Congress of the Philippines approved the company’s franchise to operate air services through Republic Act No. 7909. This approval provided a formal statutory basis for its aviation activities. The company subsequently became associated with a mixture of scheduled passenger flying, charter services, air-taxi operations, and agricultural aviation. Its principal base was identified as Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, although its work also involved provincial and island destinations. Pacificair’s documented fleet and operating profile indicate a comparatively small-aircraft business. A fleet account dated March 2007 listed four Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft. The Islander is a twin-engine utility aircraft commonly used for short regional routes, charter work, and operations from smaller or less-developed airfields. This type of fleet is consistent with Pacificair’s reported role in connecting Philippine destinations and undertaking specialized aviation work, rather than competing directly with the country’s largest full-service or low-cost carriers. The operator’s history includes three serious recorded accidents. On April 2, 1996, a Pacificair de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 crossed Manila International Airport’s runway 13 at the Taxiway F1 intersection while a Boeing 737 was taking off. The aircraft collided, and the Boeing carried the Twin Otter approximately 130 meters before stopping. The Pacificair aircraft had already discharged its passengers and was moving toward the company hangar from the General Aviation ramp. On June 9, 1999, a Pacificair Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander crashed near Coron Airport and was written off. Both crew members died. On October 16, 2004, another BN-2A-21 Islander operating from Coron to Puerto Princesa, carrying approximately 700 kilograms of live fish, struck Mount Tagpao in poor weather with heavy rain. The two crew members were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. The supplied references document Pacificair’s activities and fleet at least through the March 2007 fleet snapshot, but they do not provide reliable current information on routes, aircraft, ownership, management, financial condition, or whether the airline continues to operate. Consequently, the company’s present status remains uncertain. The available evidence supports describing Pacificair as a Philippine airline and aviation-services brand with historical operations in passenger, charter, air-taxi, and agricultural flying, while avoiding an unsupported definitive classification as either active or defunct.

• 2007

  Fleet snapshot recorded

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  A March 2007 fleet listing recorded four Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft.

• 2004

  Mount Tagpao crash

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  A Pacificair Islander operating from Coron to Puerto Princesa struck Mount Tagpao in heavy rain; both crew members died.

• 1999

  Coron Airport crash

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  A Pacificair Islander crashed near Coron Airport, killing both crew members.

• 1996

  Manila runway collision

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  A Pacificair Twin Otter collided with a Boeing 737 during a runway-crossing incident at Manila International Airport.

• 1995

  Air-service franchise approved

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  The Congress of the Philippines approved Pacificair’s franchise to operate air services on February 23, 1995, through Republic Act No. 7909.

• 1947

  Company established

  [1]Pacificairen.wikipedia.org

  Pacific Airways Corporation, operating as Pacificair, was established in the Philippines.

A small Philippine aviation operator focused on charter, regional passenger, air-taxi, and specialized aviation services rather than large-scale international airline operations.

• Passenger aviation

  Scheduled passenger flights

  Pacificair has been described as operating scheduled passenger services within the Philippines. The available material does not specify a complete route map, timetable, cabin configuration, or current availability. Its reported use of small regional aircraft suggests an orientation toward shorter domestic sectors and destinations requiring utility-oriented aircraft.

• Charter aviation

  Charter flights

  Charter flying is a core part of Pacificair’s documented identity. The company has been characterized as a charter airline, although the supplied references do not identify specific customers, tourism programs, contracts, or charter routes. Its aircraft profile indicates potential suitability for flexible regional and island operations.

• Air-taxi aviation

  Air-taxi services

  Pacificair has also been associated with air-taxi services, providing on-demand or small-capacity air transport. No current service area, booking channel, aircraft allocation, or operating schedule is provided in the available sources.

• Specialized aviation

  Agricultural aviation

  Agricultural work is listed among Pacificair’s aviation activities. The reference material does not specify whether this involved crop spraying, surveying, transport, or another agricultural application, so the precise service scope remains unconfirmed.

1. 1Pacificairen.wikipedia.org