Philippine Airlines to launch flights to Saudi Arabia in May

Philippine Airlines has revealed plans to resume a selection of international and domestic flights on select routes in May, including Saudi Arabia.

However, the Filipino flag carrier has said the scheduling for next month does not include Dubai.

Saudi is on a list of destinations for the weekly flights, which includes Japan, the US (including Guam), Canada, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea.

According to reports, there will be no flights for the remainder of April, international or domestic, from Philippine Airlines or budget airline Cebu Pacific, after the government extended the Luzon Enhanced Community Quarantine until the end of the month.

Around 200 seafarers were repatriated to the Philippines on Saturday.

The repatriation of the stranded Filipino crew members, who are not UAE residents, was coordinated with UAE authorities who allowed them to disembark and take a chartered flight arranged by their employers through local manning agencies.

Meanwhile, a Facebook group has been set up to look after Filipinos in the UAE who have been impacted by the economic implications of Covid-19.

The page, Kabayan Bayanihan, works as a coordination point for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who want to help through food donations.

Priority is given for providing aid for OFWs based on three categories: those in the UAE on a visit visa for over a month and don’t have relatives in the country; those who have been jobless for over a month and haven’t received their salary as well as End of Service Benefits (EOSB) or back pay; and those who still have jobs but haven’t been paid for at least two months.

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