PAL flights carrying OFWs to be diverted to Subic

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights carrying overseas Filipino workers will be diverted to the Subic Bay International Airport under a government program to facilitate the return of OFWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said six PAL flights transporting OFWs from Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia would arrive on July 5, 7, 15, 17, 25 and 27.

Arriving passengers will be quarantined for seven to 10 days at Subic Bay Freeport hotels and accommodation facilities accredited by the Department of Tourism and certified by the Bureau of Quarantine.

“The arrival of OFWs via Subic is in line with the policy of the Civil Aeronautics Board to impose a limit and for all international airports in the country to accommodate only 1,500 passengers per day,” Eisma said.

She said Subic has also been serving as a crew-change one-stop-shop hub since September last year to help bring home stranded Filipino seafarers or send them back to work after a vacation.