Planespotters have different objectives when they make the effort to spot aircraft. They may spot on their own, but they also gather with fellow spotters, especially when “special” or “rare” aircraft are known to arrive or depart at their home airport. When these aircraft do show up, time may be of the essence as their arrival or departure is specific, and it may be announced on short notice, sometimes not at all.
Whether you’re a newbie spotter wanting to challenge yourself or a frequent spotter wanting some diversity from the regular aircraft, here’s a list of must-spot aircraft in Manila (MNL/RPLL) that you could consider adding to your spotting bucket list.
Philippine Airlines Airbus A350-1000 and Airbus A320ceo Sharklet
As part of its fleet renewal and expansion strategy, Philippine Airlines (PAL) recently welcomed additional aircraft to its fleet. It began last year with the arrival of their first Airbus A350-1000, RP-C3510. The first in Southeast Asia, it sports an “85th Anniversary” decal in commemoration of the said occasion. It was followed by RP-C3511 last May 29, 2026, wearing the airline’s familiar Eurowhite livery. At least two more are expected this year, and PAL has been generous in announcing their arrival. In fact, they encourage spotting their arrivals with the hashtag #PALPlanespotting! Typically, their Airbus A350-1000 flies PR118/119, PR126/127, and on occasion, PR730/731, making them typically appear at night or early morning (actual aircraft and flight assignments are subject to change).
Along with the A350s, PAL has also welcomed Airbus A320s with Sharklets installed. What makes them interesting is that prior to their arrival, their A320 fleet was only fitted with the original wingtip fence. Its very first Sharklet A320 (RP-C8934) has a plain white Sharklet, while the succeeding ones (RP-C8933, RP-C8935, and most recently RP-C8936) have the Sunriser painted on the Sharklet. These new arrival A320 Sharklets are assigned to domestic flights, which makes them generally visible at any time of the day.
Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 “Let’s Fly EveryJuan” and Old Livery
To augment their fleet due to aircraft supply chain issues, Cebu Pacific (CEB) leased additional Airbus A320ceo. They took the opportunity to promote their current tagline, “Let’s Fly EveryJuan,” by rolling out a special livery that bears the airline’s name on the right and their tagline on the left. Currently, two aircraft bear this livery: RP-C4268 and RP-C4156.
On the other hand, they have kept one of their A320ceo, RP-C4101, in its original livery, colloquially known to spotters as “Peach Mango Pie.” While it is not a retro livery, it is a rare aircraft as it is the only one out of their 96-strong fleet bearing the old livery. While there is no specific information about its tenure with the airline, it would be best to spot it while it’s flying.
All three are currently assigned to domestic flights, but they do serve international flights on very rare occasions.
A special livery, though still in the works, is their Dreamer plane. They have released teasers of the livery, but there is no firm delivery date yet. More information here.
Philippines AirAsia Airbus A320 “Puregold” Livery
In 2017, Philippines AirAsia entered into a partnership with Puregold, a local supermarket chain. As part of their partnership, they repainted two of their Airbus A320s, RP-C8975 and RP-C8978, with the Puregold brand on both sides. The AirAsia brand is retained at the tail. Spotters would call these planes “Aling Puring,” referring to the chain’s loyalty program for sari-sari store owners.
Currently, only RP-C8975 is operational, serving mostly domestic and occasionally international flights. RP-C8978 is currently out of service, but it conducted a test flight last May. There is no official announcement regarding its return, but it is worth the spot once it returns to service.
EVA Air Hello Kitty / Sanrio Jets
Since 2005, EVA Air has been in partnership with Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty. With six Sanrio-themed jets in service, all of them have visited Manila at least once: Pinky Jet (A321neo, B-16217), Lolly Jet (B777-300ER, B-16740), Besties Jet (B777-300ER, B-16722), Celebration Flight (A330ceo, B-16333), Joyful Dream (A330ceo, B-16332), and BAD BADTZ-MARU Travel Fun (A330ceo, B-16631).
BAD BADTZ-MARU is the most frequent Manila visitor, typically arriving before sunset and departing at night (as BR277/278). The Celebration Flight and Joyful Dream jets regularly fly to Cebu but very rarely appear in Manila. When they do, however, they also fly BR277/278. The Lolly and Besties jets also very rarely appear, but they would fly in the afternoon as BR271/272 when assigned. Pinky Jet is unlikely to visit anytime soon, as its only known visit in Manila was in February 2026 as BR261/262, which is currently flown by their Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner.
EVA Air provides flight information on its Hello Kitty Jets here.
Korean Air (Old Livery)
As part of their merger process with Asiana Airlines, Korean Air embarked on a rebrand. Its new livery is significantly different from the one that is often associated with a soft drink brand. Recently, Korean Air has been deploying its B777-300ER with the new livery in its day and night flights, KE621/622 and KE624/624. This used to be flown by their B777-300, still wearing the former livery. This is a possible sign that the old livery will soon be a rare sight in Manila, as the airline gradually phases out the old livery.
There is still a chance that you could catch the old livery, albeit late at night – as KE625/626 and KE619/620 are served by their narrowbody A321neo and B737-800/900. This could be a mixed bag as there are both old and new-liveried Korean Air narrowbodies. They sometimes also have late-night cargo flights flown by a B747-400F with the old livery (as KE343). Spot them while they’re flying!
Asiana Airlines
In connection with their merger with Korean Air, Asiana Airlines will fully integrate with Korean Air late this year. In the process, the Asiana brand will be phased out. This also means that Asiana planes will soon be repainted into the new Korean Air livery, but this will be an ongoing process post-merger completion. Now is a good time to spot them while they’re still present. Currently, they have two daily flights – one in the morning served by an A330ceo (OZ701/702), and another in the evening served by either their A330ceo or B777-200ER (OZ730/704).
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger jet in service, the only one having a double deck throughout its body. What makes it a rare sight in Manila is that it only arrives or departs late at night or early in the morning (0001H to 0500H) without a fixed schedule. It flies to Manila primarily for base maintenance at Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP). Further raising the difficulty of spotting this plane is the lack of official information regarding its departure or arrival. As a hint, however, when one departs, another arrives, and an A380’s stay would typically last one month – sometimes more. Usually, British Airways and Emirates’ A380s fly here.
If you wish to spot this aircraft, be on the lookout for A380 flights with no known destination on aircraft tracking sites. Sometimes, in the case of BA’s A380s, tracking sites will indicate that Manila is its destination. You could also seek information from some local spotters – there’s a handful who are generous enough to share information.
ANA and Scoot Pokemon Jets
The Pokemon Jet could be traced back in 1998 when, on the release of Pokemon: The First Movie, All Nippon Airways unveiled the first Pokemon Jet, a B747-400D, flying Japanese domestic flights. This became popular among Pokemon fans and plane spotters alike, and multiple versions have since flown.
Two Pokemon jets are known to have visited Manila on multiple, though irregular, occasions. In such instances, ANA’s Pikachu Jet (B787-9, JA894A) flew NH869/870 in the afternoon, while Scoot’s Pikachu Jet (B787-9, 9V-OJJ) flew TR588/589 in the early morning.
Scoot provides flight information about their Pokemon Jet, which could be found here. Meanwhile, ANA also provides flight information for their Pokemon Jets here.
Based on available information, three new versions from ANA are expected this year to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary and ANA’s 40th anniversary of international flights. One of them, Pokemon Jet Green (B787-9, JA923A), will fly international routes. As ANA flies their 787 here, there is a good chance that it might be deployed here once in service. More information here.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and their being special or rare would, of course, change over time. Moreover, the flight information provided is only a guide, and actual deployments are subject to the airlines’ operational requirements. There are many more special visitors, but that’s for another article, and for you to find out, perhaps.
About the Author
Jose Diego Roxas once dreamed of being a pilot when he was young, but he eventually chose to study and work in agriculture. His main interest is raising plants indoors using lights and other special equipment. His aviation interest hasn’t died down, though – he now spots planes as a hobby and does “flying” in a flight simulator at home.
Planespotting photos used in this article are by Jose Diego Roxas unless otherwise specified.