PAL president/ COO Stanley Tan was pilot-in-command of flight PR001 that carried President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his wife, Frist Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos on a mission for the nation in Phnom Penh,
Philippine Airlines (PAL) President/COO Captain Stanley Ng flew a 168 seater Airbus A321neo aircraft to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on November 9 carrying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. onboard flight PR001.
"It was one of those special moments in history: A President-Pilot flying the President of the Republic on a mission for the nation," PAL said.
PAL has been flying Philippine presidents on overseas journeys since the first state mission carrying President Elpidio Quirino in August 1949.
PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna, last week said Ng was the Pilot-in-Command of the PAL flight that carried President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the official Philippine Delegation to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the ASEAN 2022 Summit.
She added it was a very unique responsibility of flying the country's Commander-in-Chief for the two and a half hour journey from Manila to Cambodia's capital city.
The PAL official is the first active pilot to serve as the top executive of the flag carrier since the 1960s, having ascended to the PAL presidency after an 18-year career in the airline. Ng was the first PAL president to serve as pilot in command of a Presidential flight.
"It is an honor and a privilege for me and my crew to serve as the pilots of this presidential flight, and I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence," said Captain Ng in a statement. He added, "We were 100 percent dedicated to making sure the President and his team had a safe and pleasant journey. This was another opportunity to be of service to the nation by flying the flag on an important mission."
Also on flight PR001 were Captain Antonio Salgado Jr., Captain Gallardo Ibarra Jr., while Pursers Monique Francois Gloria and Aimee Vijandre headed the crew of seven flight attendants.
PAL said the presidential flight departed at 5:15p.m. on November 9 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2. The flight PR001 touched down at the Phnom Penh International Airport at 6:47p.m., Cambodian local time. Flying home on November 13, the presidential delegation departed from Phnom Penh at 8:46p.m. local time, with Captain Ng and his in crew in command, and arrived in Manila at 12:14a.m.
Ng joined the airline in 2003 as an airport customer relations staffer before taking a cadet pilot training at the PAL aviation school and joined the pilot roster as a Second Officer in 2006.
He rose through the ranks, eventually serving as chief pilot of the PAL Airbus A320/A321 fleet. Ng later joined the flag carrier's management team as Senior Vice President of the Operations Group before his appointment to the position of President/ COO in January 2022.
His wife, Lilybeth Tan - Ng, Villaluna said, is also a pilot. She works in PAL as Assistant Vice President - Pilot Affairs. Lilybeth is the daughter of Chairman Lucio Tan.
Tags: #captainstanleyng, #presidentialflighttocambodia, #missionforthenation, #specialmomentsinhistory