Direct flights from London to Manila planned The national carrier had been banned from flying in British airspace but the EU decided to lift the ban in July this year, along with that applying to Venezuelan state airline Conviasa. The two airlines were on a blacklist that still includes 280 airlines from 20 countries and all other Philippine carriers. Philippine Airlines was banned in 2010 and its safety ratings were downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Authority, from a category 2 to a category 1, in 2008. In lifting the ban, the EU transport commissioner decided that the airlines had shown a "commitment and capacity" to implementing international safety standards in a "sustainable manner," Reuters reported. The new flights to Manila are expected to start on November 4. They will run five times a week, departing from both Manila and London on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, according to the travel news site TTG. The flight time to Manila is just under 14 hours, with the return leg taking 12 hours and 35 minutes. Manila is the capital of the Philippines and, while not a popular tourist destination in itself, is used as an entry point by travellers wanting to visit the country's other sites, from the spectacular rice terraces at Luzon to the many white-sand beaches and tropical islands, reached by ferry. The Foreign Office recently warned travellers to avoid ferry travel in the Philippines wherever possible however, following a collision between a passenger vessel and a cargo ship near Cebu, a city on the island of Cebu, south of Manila. The accident resulted in at least 108 deaths. Philippines: Dreaming of a white sand Christmas