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LIMITING the number of passengers who can pass through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to 400 passengers a day and the number of days chartered flights will be allowed to land in Manila are roadblocks set by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) , a recruitment consultant and migration expert said on Sunday.
Emmanuel S. Geslani said the schedule for charter flights “is too restrictive and will only delay the arrival of thousands of Filipino seafarers who are all desperate and eager to return home.”
He said the resumption of inbound charter flights to Manila was welcome news for the 30,000 or more Filipino seafarers still stuck on ships in the East Coast, Caribbean and parts of Europe whose cruise operators are arranging charter flights for the crew members to return home.
“A chartered Boeing B747 can carry at least 450 crewmembers while another Boeing B777-300 can load around 350 crew as the seating arrangement of these plans is always economy 9 or even 10 each row,” Geslani said in a statement.
I added that one plane each day with more than 400 passengers would weigh on the limitations set by CAAP.
Commercial flights at the NAIA and eight other international airports in the country were suspended last week as part of measures to control the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid 19).
There are more than 30,000 seafarers to be ferried by charter flights as major cruise operators Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Costa and Princess lines have received permission from the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) to allow the stranded Filipino seafarers to depart from Miami.
Some of the crew will depart from Barbados and the rest from Italy where Costa ships are docked waiting for the Manila airport to open.
The 10,000 from the 40,000 expected to arrive this month through June will be ferried by the major cruise liners from Europe and the US, he said.
“Right now in Manila Bay, the 12 cruise ships crew are under a 14-day quarantine and mass testing for the virus Covid-19 and DOH medical teams assisted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for some 5,000 Filipino crew members,” Geslani said.
The Filipinos who tested negative will be allowed to go home as soon as the ship is allowed to dock at Pier 15 by the PCG.
Geslani is urging CAAP to reconsider the limitation on charter flights for seafarers or OFWs who have been stuck in a cabin, saying they have been there from a month to six weeks.
“They’ve not allowed to leave since the passengers left and / or they get the meals every day. A lot of them are not allowed to walk around. There’s no natural light, some are stuck right at the bottom of the ship while others stay in passenger cabins with a balcony. They’ve lost their jobs, and they’re very scared, ”Geslani stressed, adding“ these are our ‘Bagong Bayani’ seafarers who bring in billions of dollars for the national economy. ”
