PIONEERING flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) may hold off on expanding its routes to mainland China and wait until the Covid-19 cases there decrease.
In a text exchange with the BusinessMirror, PAL President and COO Capt. Stanley Ng said in a mix of English and Filipino, “We are actually looking at a summer schedule for China. End of March. So we’re not sure if Chinese New Year [flights are] still possible.”
He disclosed that PAL has received a request for chartered flights from China to Kalibo, “but we’re still in talks. We’ll know [this] week if it can be scheduled in time for the Chinese New Year.” Boracay Island is a favorite destination of mainland Chinese travelers during the Lunar New Year, which will commence on January 22, 2023.
Like other tourism stakeholders, Ng expressed concern on the spread of Covid in China and recognized that many other countries are requiring additional testing of Chinese travelers. He said PAL’s scheduled flights to Xiamen “will push through, but most likely, there will be additonal testing protocol as recommended by DOTr (Department of Transportation).”
‘Govt should decide testing protocols’
The Xiamen flights start on January 13 with one flight a week, using an Airbus 330-300 aircraft. Prior to the pandemic, PAL served five cities in China—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou (Jinjiang).
Asked if Cebu Pacific planned to resume more flights to China as it reopens to international travel on January 8, airline President and Chief Commercial Officer Alexander Lao said in a text message, “China, the Philippines’s second largest source of tourists [pre-pandemic] is important, but any expansion will be dependent on approval from authorities on both sides. Hopefully, things will become clearer during the first quarter of 2023.” CEB continues to fly between Manila and Guangzhou every Tuesday.
As for suggested additional entry requirements for inbound Chinese travelers, he said, “It’s best for Philippine government to decide on testing protocols and what’s best given varying factors. Ideally, any such activity is coordinated so that our guests will know that they need to consider when traveling. We think this situation will remain fluid and CEB will cooperate with authorities as needed.”
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista earlier said the Philippines should be “very cautious” in accepting Chinese travelers, “if they have a lot of Covid cases,” adding that government should require them to undergo RT-PCR tests upon arrival, like in Hong Kong. (See, “Nancy, tourism players, DOTr: Tighten border controls for Chinese tourists in PHL,” in the BusinessMirror, December 29, 2022.)
Test-before-travel for unvaxxed, partially vaxxed
A number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Canada, Israel, Qatar, among others, have already re-imposed travel requirements for mainland Chinese tourists—either tests before travel, or tests upon arrival.
Under current guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers, regardless of nationality, are required to submit a negative antigen test result, 24 hours prior to departure. Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ) Deputy Director Dr. Roberto Salvador said in Filipino via Viber, “If the traveler is symptomatic and unvaccinated, he will be tested upon arrival. There is a laboratory set up in terminals for their antigen test once they are tagged as unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, or symptomatic.” Those found positive will “undergo mandatory isolation at a designated hotel facility.”
In a memorandum on December 29, 2022, BoQ enjoined all its quarantine stations “to continously intensify the quarantine protocols,” by heightening surveillance of respiratory symptoms in travelers, reporting of “intercepted symptomatic passengers during arrival screening,” submission of reports of Covid-positive travelers, information dissemination among travelers regarding Covid-19 infection prevention and control and display of information materials on these.
BoQ also instructed its personnel to “Coordinate with airport and seaport terminal authorities for possible re-establishment of testing of inbound travelers from high-alert countries” like China, which the agency recognized have “escalated” Covid cases, “due to the prevalence of the viral mutation and subvariants.”