Cebu Pacific brings home 338 Filipinos to Philippines via Bayanihan flight from UAE

The Philippines’ leading carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB), brought home 338 Filipinos from Dubai, in response to the government’s call to repatriate stranded overseas Filipinos in the Middle East who needed to come home while the travel ban is still in place.

The sixth CEB-arranged special commercial or Bayanihan flight was mounted in coordination with the Philippine government’s special working group. The government instituted a travel ban to the UAE in May.

Aside from meal and baggage allowance upgrades, passengers on this flight received a gift pack from Universal Robina Corporation (URC).

Passengers must comply with strict guidelines, including RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before departure with negative result; and a 15-day/14-night quarantine stay in a pre-booked, accredited facility upon arrival. Another swab test will be taken seven (7) days after arrival.

The cost of quarantine accommodation and testing for land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are shouldered by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); while the Philippine Port Authority covered the cost for sea-based OFWs.

Non-OFW returning citizens must arrange and pay for their quarantine accommodations and testing.

CEB has coordinated with hotels accredited by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to ensure that there are adequate facilities for passengers arriving on this flight.

The accredited hotels for this flight are Savoy Hotel Manila, Manila Diamond Hotel, Sheraton Hotel Resorts World Manila, Go Hotels Timog, and Go Hotels Ortigas.

The next special commercial flight is scheduled on September 4, and accredited hotels for this flight are Axiaa Hotel, Go Hotels North Edsa, Go Hotels Timog, Manila Diamond Hotel, and Marriott Hotel. Non-OFWs will be notified via email on which quarantine hotels they may book, along with other travel reminders.

“We are happy to continue safely bringing home our fellow Filipinos while the travel restrictions are still in effect,” said Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer at Cebu Pacific.  “We look forward to serving more kababayans on our Bayanihan flights this month.”

Since July, CEB has brought home more than 1,800 Filipinos from the Middle East via special commercial flights, while more than 1,700 Filipinos from Oman, Dubai, India, and Vietnam were flown home through DFA-organized repatriation flights.

CEB operates the widest domestic network in the Philippines covering 31 destinations, on top of its eight (8) international destinations. Its 74-strong fleet, one of the youngest in the world, includes two (2) dedicated ATR freighters and one (1) A330 freighter.