Cebu Pacific on Wednesday safely flew home 294 Filipinos from Dubai, to support the government’s call to facilitate return of overseas Filipinos in the Middle East who needed to go home despite an ongoing travel restriction.
Another special commercial flight is scheduled on August 18.
Passengers on these flights are subject to more stringent guidelines, including a 15-day/14-night quarantine stay in a pre-booked, accredited facility upon arrival; and RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before departure with negative result. Another swab test will be taken seven days after arrival.
The cost of quarantine accommodation and testing for land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be shouldered by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); while the Philippine Port Authority will cover the cost for sea-based OFWs.
Non-OFW or Filipino tourists will have to pay for their RT-PCR test and accommodation in a hotel quarantine facility.
To ensure that there are adequate quarantine facilities for the passengers in Bayanihan flights, CEB has coordinated with BOQ-accredited hotels for passenger ease and better monitoring.
The accredited hotels for the August 11 flight are Go Hotels-Ortigas, Go Hotels-Timog, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, Savoy Hotel, and Sequioa Hotel-Quezon City. The accredited hotels for the August 18 flight are Savoy Hotel, Holiday Inn Manila Galleria, and Go Hotels Ortigas. Quarantine stays with these hotels come with meals.
All non-OFW passengers booked on these flights will be notified through email regarding specific quarantine facilities where they can book their stay.
Before departing Dubai, passengers must register for One Health Pass through the website: BOQ Health Declaration Registration . Upon completion, each passenger will be issued a personal QR code. This must be presented upon check-in for the flight, and upon arrival at Manila.
Passengers must also accomplish a Bayanihan Form from CEB on or 24 hours before the flight. This form will be available via a link that will be sent to them via email.
Most of the passengers on the Bayanihan flights are rebooked from previously cancelled flights and were given flexibility options such as no change fees. Seat price is dynamic and based on a number of factors, such as demand and availability.
“As seats are limited, we are doing everything we can to assist our passengers while ensuring we are able to operate sustainably, taking into consideration operational costs and fuel prices,” said Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer at Cebu Pacific. “Our mission is still to bring OFWs back home safely to their families especially during this time.”
Earlier today, 381 Filipinos arrived in Davao from Oman, via Cebu Pacific charter flight 5J 29. This was made possible in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy of Oman.
Since July, Cebu Pacific has flown three special commercial flights, bringing home more than 800 Filipinos from the Middle East. CEB has also flown home more than 1000 Filipinos via 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.