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Often photos and videos of airplanes.

📍 MNL, PH. 🇵🇭

12/10/2026

🇵🇭 BALIK PAGLIPAD MULI SI RP-C9917 matapos ang halos sampung (10) buwan na hindi nagamit matapos ma-tail strike habang papalapag sa Manila International Airport noong Enero 2026. Lumipad kaninang umaga patungong Xiamen, China, ang naturang eroplano. Matatandaan na ang Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport ay isang heavy-maintenance facility ng mga eroplano mula sa bawat sulok ng mundo.

RP-C9917 is once again airborne after being dormant for 10 months following a tail strike incident that occurred during landing in Manila from Cagayan de Oro January of this year. Said aircraft flew to Xiamen as PR 6917 earlier today - its mission currently unknown. That said, it is widely known that Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport is a heavy-maintenance facility that caters to airlines from all corners of the globe.

RP-C9917 is an 11-year-old Airbus A321 equipped with sharklets developed brand new to Philippine Airlines from Airbus in 2014. She is currently configured in a two-class cabin with 12 business class seats and 187 in economy.

Can't wait to see this bird completely up and running and back in the Philippine skies soon!

The tail strike photo was shared by one of our followers last January, while the flight track earlier today was taken from flightradar24.

30/09/2026

🇵🇭 🇲🇾 Liveries from a time long gone, waiting for their turn to take off from Manila. A Malaysia Airlines 737 wearing their striking red retro livery from the '70s about to embark on its pond crossing back home to Kuala Lumpur. Ahead of them, RP-C4101, the last remaining Airbus A320 wearing Cebu Pacific Air's old livery, about to depart for Iloilo.

9M-MLV continues to fly with Malaysia Airlines today, while RP-C4101 is now retired an is currently stored in Kuala Lumpur.

29/09/2026

🇵🇭 🇨🇦 SAME SAME, BUT DIFFERENT? The civilian and military variant of the Airbus A330 widebody jet in Manila. One carries hundreds of passengers, while the other is slated to become an aerial gas station.

The Royal Canadian Air Force CC-330 Husky has just completed its scheduled stop at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and is taxiing towards runway 06 for departure to their cold home, as the Philippine Airlines A330 arrives from the Middle East.

The CC-330 Husky is the Royal Canadian Air Force's version of the Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport), and it's set to replace the RCAF's aging CC-150 Polaris fleet under the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability program. Nine Huskies are on order, operated by 437 Transport Squadron out of 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, whose "Husky" callsign and mascot, dating back to 1944, gave the aircraft its name.

Unlike its passenger sibling above it, the Husky isn't built to move people from one point to another alone. Its main job is keeping other aircraft in the fight longer, without needing to land. It's designed to have both a boom and a hose-and-drogue refueling system, letting it top off everything from Canadian CF-18s to allied NATO and American aircraft, all on the same mission if needed. Underneath that dual-role design, it's also a strategic airlifter in its own right, able to haul troops, cargo, and, when the mission calls for it, perform aeromedical evacuations. A part of the fleet will even serve in the VIP transport role, with one already painted in the RCAF VIP colors, tasked with flying senior government officials.

Which raises a question worth watching: could we, the Philippines eventually operate one of these itself? Airbus has been actively pitching the A330 MRTT to the Philippine Air Force since at least September 2024, when Airbus Philippines chief representative Jussi Hoikka confirmed the company was in talks with the PAF as part of the AFP's Re-Horizon 3 modernization phase, which specifically identified a requirement for a multi-role tanker transport and additional airlifters. Airbus has framed the MRTT as ideal for the Philippines given the aircraft's regional footprint - Singapore, Australia, and South Korea already operate it in the Asia-Pacific - and its dual capability to haul up to 45 tons of cargo while carrying up to 111 tonnes of fuel, the highest capacity of any tanker in production today. It can reportedly offload 50,000 kg of fuel to multiple receivers during a four-hour loiter more than 1,000 nautical miles from its takeoff point. That, coupled with the maintenance know-how of local airline operators, makes it a perfect choice (FOR ME LANG HA HAHAHA) for our Air Force!

One aircraft family, two very different purpose.

I wonder if Airbus knew how popular the A330 would be when they first designed the jet way back in the late 80s/early 90s.

28/09/2026

🇵🇭 ♥️ From RIT to EZD to APG, how Philippines AirAsia painted our skies Red!

Before the red livery became a familiar sight in Manila, the story of Philippines AirAsia began with two very different airlines, and both had to fold into one before the brand we know today took shape.

The first chapter starts in the mid-1990s with Asian Spirit, founded in September 1995 and flying by March 1996. It was the first airline in the Philippines run as a cooperative, and it built its niche on secondary and tertiary routes that the bigger carriers ignored. Asian Spirit operated turboprop aircraft as well as the BAe 146 STOL jetliners, lovingly known as the Jumbolino, across the Philippines. As the first Jumbolino operator in the country, and the first to fly the aircraft to Batanes, engineers from British Aerospace had to manually measure the runway length and slope at Basco before the airline decided to use the CN235 on the route. But Asian Spirit didn't experience smooth sailing all the way - technical problems and multiple runway mishaps led to the public giving it a tagline of "You fly as an Asian, and land as a Spirit!". Anyway, that's a post for another day ...

In 2008, businessman Alfredo Yao, the man behind Zest-O juice, took control. On September 30, 2008, Asian Spirit was rebranded as Zest Air, a name that winked at the company's juice roots. Under the ICAO code EZD, Zest Air flew a mix of Airbus A320s and Chinese-made Xian MA60 turboprops, competing head-on with Cebu Pacific and airphilexpress in the low-cost market. Two of their first A320s came from American carrier JetBlue, and I fondly remember the interior having Spanish-signs and the seats still had the holes that the in-flight TVs used to occupy.

Up north in Pampanga though, a separate story was unfolding. AirAsia Philippines was formally launched on December 16, 2010, a joint venture between AirAsia Berhad and Filipino investors including Antonio Cojuangco, Michael Romero, and Marianne Hontiveros. Its first brand-new Airbus A320 was delivered in August 2011, and by early 2012 it had secured its Air Operator Certificate.

On March 28, 2012, the airline finally took off, and it did so from Clark. Daily flights to Kalibo, the gateway to Boracay, and Davao City, the gateway to Mindanao, were launched from Clark International Airport with AirAsia Group chair Tony Fernandes, Cojuangco, and then Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas on hand. It began with just two aircraft, but it was the first time the Philippines saw that bold red livery on a low-cost carrier in the skies over Pampanga. I remember being so excited for this, as finally, the Red Birds have arrived in the Philippines! And they didn't skimp on the marketing - buses heading north featured body wraps of the airline's distinct red A320s. Mall caravans were held, with their cabin crews modeling their distinct uniforms. I was so excited that I was present when their first ticketing office in SM North EDSA opened!

Clark proved a tough base, however. Manila held all the passenger traffic, and It was a time when Point-to-Point (P2P) buses did not exist. The new terminal did not exist yet - all we had was the old AMC terminal the Americans used and the small DMIA terminal.

So in March 2013, AirAsia Philippines agreed to a share swap with Zest Air, with Zest receiving US$16 million in cash and a 13% stake in the AirAsia venture. In October 2013, AirAsia closed its Clark base to reduce losses and moved to Manila. That same month, Zest Air was rebranded as AirAsia Zest, operating as an affiliate under the AirAsia banner. Finally, the airline has access to the coveted "Manila Slots".

And so the final step came on December 6, 2015, when AirAsia Zest merged into AirAsia Philippines to form Philippines AirAsia, now flying under the ICAO code APG. The Zest name faded into history, but its fleet, routes, and legacy carried on under the red banner.

Today, Philippines AirAsia is one of the country's major airlines, flying thousands of Filipinos aboard its all-Airbus fleet on a daily basis across the archipelago, and beyond. And I can't wait for them to bring the brand-new Airbus A220 here!

IN PHOTO: RP-C8964, one of Philippines AirAsia's A320s blasting off from Manila's runway 06 as a company aircraft pushes back from Terminal 2.

27/09/2026

🇵🇭💛 MARAHIL AY LAHAT TAYO, NAKITA NA ANG BAGONG SPECIAL LIVERY NG CEBU PACIFIC, pero alam mo ba noon, hindi lang isa o dalawang eroplano nila ang nag dala ng special liveries - kundi LIMA! Lika, mag balik-tanaw tayo sa kasaysayan ng mga pinaka-magandang eroplanong lumipad sa Pilipinas.

Long before Cebu Pacific's fleet was dominated by Airbus tails in that unmistakable yellow, the airline built its reputation on a workhorse from an earlier era: the Douglas DC-9-32. Cebu Pacific began commercial operations in 1996, and the twin-engine, T-tailed DC-9 became the backbone of its early route network, connecting Manila to the islands with the kind of efficient, no-frills service the airline would later become famous for.

What set some of these jets apart, though, wasn't just their t-tails and cockpit configuration — it was their paint.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cebu Pacific rolled out a series of special livery aircraft, each one dedicated to a different theme celebrating Philippine culture and identity.

RP-C1509 became "City of Cebu," carrying design elements tied to the Queen City of the South — its marine life, its mangoes, its guitars, a caricature of national hero Lapu-Lapu, and nods to the Sinulog festival.

RP-C1540 became "City of Davao," known among enthusiasts simply as the "Eagle Livery" for its vivid, colorful, Mindanaoan-themed design. Design elements such as a silhoutte of Mount Apo, Durians, Pomelos and other fruits of Mindanao were present in this livery.

RP-C1536 wore the "Centennial" scheme, marking the 1998 centenary of Philippine independence with a design built around the flag.

And RP-C1546 carried the "Sun, Sea, and Sand" livery, a bright, tropical design that leaned into the beach-destination image the airline was building its brand around.

These weren't fleet-wide repaints — they were one-off tributes, and that's exactly what made them special. For spotters and photographers around Philippine airports in that era, catching one of these liveried DC-9s on approach or pushing back from the gate was a genuine event.

The DC-9s themselves were eventually phased out as Cebu Pacific transitioned to an all-Airbus narrowbody fleet — the A319s and A320s that would carry the airline into its low-cost carrier boom years, alongside ATR-72s for its regional network. It's worth remembering, too, that the type's service in the Philippines wasn't without tragedy: a Cebu Pacific DC-9 was lost in February 1998 Cagayan de Oro accident, a sobering chapter in the story of these aircraft.

Today, the special-livery tradition lives on in Cebu Pacific's modern fleet — its recent Philippine-destination-themed A321s and A330s are a direct descendant of what those DC-9s started decades ago.

But for those of us who grew up watching Philippine skies in the '90s and 2000s, nothing quite matches seeing a "City of Cebu," "City of Davao," "Centennial," or "Sun, Sea, and Sand" DC-9 at the airport, lalo na nung uso pa yung mga field trips sa Nayong Pilipino noon.

I was fortunate enough to fly on RP-C1546 to Tagbilaran when I was a young kid, and while that was so many years ago, the memory of seeing that yellow bird at sunrise at the ramp of the old Domestic Airport still remain. The sight and sounds from a time long ago, but in my mind, it's still as fresh as if it happened yesterday.

IN PHOTOS: The Special Liveried Diesel-Niners (DC-9s) of Filipino low-cost airline Cebu Pacific Air! All photos were taken by Captain Manny Osias. Windwalker, if you're reading this, thank you!

Oh, lastly, yung sikat na 757, sa isang araw na natin pag-kwentuhan ... 🤣😁

26/09/2026

🇺🇸 🇵🇭 | CHINOOKS LOW AND SLOW OVER MANILA. A few days back, I caught two Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters in trail from my office parking lot as I was warming up my car. Heading north-west, these unmistakable birds flew slow enough that I was able to grab my phone and snap photos of them while recovering from the initial sight-shock I often get with rare aircraft. And these weren't just any Chinooks. These appeared to be MH-47G models, the special operations variant flown almost exclusively by one of the most secretive and storied units in the US military: the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, better known as the Night Stalkers.

If the name "Night Stalkers" sound dramatic, that's because it earned it. The Night Stalkers fly under the motto "Night Stalkers Don't Quit," and their MH-47Gs are built for exactly that kind of mission — infiltration and extraction of special operations forces, often at night, often low, often into places regular aircraft simply can't go. Bristling with sensors, an aerial refueling probe, and a suite of defensive systems tucked under that famous matte black paint, this isn't your average cargo hauler. It's a helicopter built to get the most dangerous jobs done quietly, and get its passengers home.

But strip away the "special ops" mystique, and at its core, the Chinook is simply one of the best heavy-lift helicopters ever built. Twin engines, tandem rotors, and a cargo hold that can swallow tens of thousands of pounds of troops or supplies — it's the workhorse that militaries around the world lean on when the mission calls for muscle, not finesse.

For years now, the Philippine Air Force has had its eye on the Chinook. After a scrapped deal for Russian Mi-17s fell through in the wake of the Ukraine war, Philippine officials turned to Washington, eyeing the CH-47 as the heavy-lift helicopter our Air Force has long needed — for disaster response, for troop movement, for reaching the far-flung corners of our archipelago that only a helicopter like this can serve. Nothing's final yet, pero malay natin ...

So, will we see the CH-47 wear Philippine Air Force roundels someday? I sure hope so. Until then, catching a pair of what appears to be Night Stalker Chinooks over Manila is a rare treat — and a glimpse of what our own heavy-lift future could look like.

IN PHOTO: What looks like two Boeing MH-47G Chinooks of the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flying low over Manila, their matte black finish and sensor pods visible at the altitude they were flying at. Nung una pa nga, akala ko Osprey because of the heavy thump of their rotors, then they appeared through a clearing and bam! Chinooks!

24/09/2026

FINALLY, a brand new special livery for Cebu Pacific Air! And she actually looks gorgeous!

Can’t wait to spot her once she arrives in the Philippines!

Photo by Eurospot / at X.

13/09/2026

FOR THE PAST 19 YEARS, the classic dark green and blue eagle of Cebu Pacific Air has become a symbol for affordable air travel in the Philippines. Dala ng agilang ito ang konsepto ng "low cost" travel sa ating bansa. Sa kasagsagan ng kanilang mga "Piso fares" noon kung saan ang base fare ng ticket na iyong babayaran ay nagkakahalaga lamang ng ₱1 (one Philippine peso), nakakabili ang madla ng one-way ticket patungo sa mga domestic destinations sa halagang hindi pa aabot ng ₱50.

Ang pinaka-mura ko ngang nakuhang ticket to Cebu noon, ₱32 lang! Those were the days before taxes, airport fees, and surcharges skyrocketed. I still had to pay my terminal fee at a separate counter at the old domestic terminal!

From Douglas DC-9s to Boeing 757s, from Airbus A319s to A330s and ATRs, the dark green and blue eagle has linked the Philippines to the globe. On her wings, she carried millions of Filipinos to their dream destinations, and to hopes for a better future abroad.

In 2015, the airline underwent a rebrand. The eagle was modified, now styled for the future of 21st century air travel. Moving away from the classic colors, the airline focused on the sun, sea, and sand of the Philippines, featuring a brighter and lighter yellow, green and blue palette.

Fast forward to 2026, the last of the aircraft to wear the airline's old livery was retired. After 21 years of operation, Cebu Pacific Air's peach mango (NOT MANGGA!!!!) pie chapter has come to a close. Just as the peach mango pie livery symbolized a new era for the airline with the arrival of the Airbus A320-family in 2005, the new livery also signifies the next chapter in the airline's history as the airline continues to transition to an all-Airbus NEO (New Engine Option) fleet.

I'll definitely miss the classic eagle adorning the fuselage that greets you when you board the aircraft. And I hope that one day, we'll have Cebu Pacific Air retro jets flying overhead.

IN PHOTOS: Various aircraft of Cebu Pacific Air wearing the Peach Mango Pie livery taken through the years. From Siargao to Sydney, these birds have famously (or infamously) painted the skies yellow with their summer livery!

05/08/2026

Ingat sa mga “Tweety Birds”, baka mahigop sa makina o maka-bird strike pa.

Airplanes and birds, or chismis, don’t mix well. 😝😝

21/07/2026

NINE MORE AIRBUS A350-1000s FOR PHILIPPINE AIRLINES | Hot on the heels of the Filipino flag carrier’s Boeing order during Farnborough, the company has just announced an order for nine (9) additional Airbus A350-1000s, bringing the airline’s total order to 18!

The Airbus A350 is Airbus’ newest and most advanced long range jet. Powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the aircraft is designed to fly on ultra long-haul routes like Manila to New York while giving passengers a 21st century travel experience. As of writing, Philippine Airlines is currently Southeast Asia’s first and only operator of the longest variant of the A350.

2026 is shaping to be an excellent year for the flag carrier, with multiple aircraft orders spread across European aircraft giant Airbus and the American aviation trailblazer Boeing.

With new widebodies slated to arrive in the coming years, the next thing to look forward to is what will be the replacement for the tired A320s the airline operated on short, regional routes.

IN PHOTO: The airline’s very first A350-1000 wearing the 85th anniversary decal during its delivery flight to Manila from France.

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