By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine&nbsp;Airlines will order nine Airbus A350-1000 wide-body aircraft to expand its fleet and route network as air travel recovers from the pandemic, the flag carrier said on Wednesday.
The new aircraft will be operated on non-stop services from Manila to North America, its biggest international market, including the east coast of the United States and Canada, the company said.
Reuters on Tuesday reported that&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;Airlines was close to a deal to acquire 10 Airbus planes, in the latest sign of a recovery in the market for wide-body jets, citing sources.
The first of the nine A350-1000s is slated to be delivered by the fourth quarter of 2025, with deliveries continuing until 2027, the airline said.
The&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;flag carrier also secured purchase rights on three additional A350-1000s for future expansion to new long-haul destinations, it added.
The memorandum signed by&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;Airlines is not yet a final order and fine-tuning the contractual details can take weeks or months.
The airline currently operates various Airbus jets, including the A350 on long-haul intercontinental routes and A330-300s on services to the Middle East, Australia and various points in Asia.
It also operates a fleet of A320 and A321 single-aisle aircraft on its domestic and regional network out of the capital, Manila, and Cebu in central&nbsp;Philippines.
Philippine&nbsp;Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States in September 2021, allowing it to restructure finances that were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. It exited the process, which involved a $2 billion cut in borrowings and a return of 22 of its 92 aircraft, in January 2022.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome MoralesAdditional Reporting by Tim HepherEditing by Martin Petty and David Goodman)

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Philippine Airlines to buy nine Airbus A350-1000 wide-body jets