Overseas Filipinos line up for their final security check at Kuwait International Airport Terminal 4, ahead of the departure of Kuwait Airways Flight Number KU 1417 on 31 July 2020. (Kuwait PE photo)
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait continues to expedite the repatriation of overseas Filipinos amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, bringing home almost 5,000 Filipinos since March 2020.
In a statement, the Embassy noted that 2,466 Filipinos were repatriated by the Kuwaiti government as part of its amnesty program last April 2020 and other preventive measures against the COVID-19.
The Embassy added that through its intervention in the approval of flight clearances by Philippine airport authorities, around 2,480 Filipinos have left Kuwait since chartered flights between Kuwait and Manila began last 28 June 2020.
“The Philippine Embassy remains committed in repatriating our kababayan who wish to be with their loved ones in the Philippines in these trying times. The Embassy will continue to endorse clearance requests to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for chartered flights between Kuwait and Manila,” Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. and Vice Consul Charleson C. Hermosura said.
On 31 July 2020, an Eid’l Adha holiday, 316 more overseas Filipinos boarded a chartered Kuwait Airways flight from Kuwait to Manila, which was arranged by Al-Tayer Travel and Tourism. Passengers of the chartered flight also received for free face shields, face masks, and hand sanitizers from Al-Tayer travel agency.
To date, the Embassy has facilitated the approval of landing clearances at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport of eight chartered Kuwait-to-Manila flights since June 2020. The Embassy transmits a flight clearance request to the DFA in the Philippines, which then endorses the said request to the CAAP for its approval.
Apart from Al-Tayer Travel and Tourism, the Embassy also partnered with Kapico Travels and Tours, Dadabhai Travel, Al-Rashed International Travel, and National Aviation Services for the logistical and administrative arrangements of the chartered Kuwait Airways flights. END
Visit the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait's Coronavirus Disease 2019 webpage for the latest updates and advisories on the COVID-19 situation in Kuwait: https://kuwaitpe.dfa.gov.ph/covid19
