As the holiday season is upon us, many Filipinos from various parts of the globe will want to come back home to spend Christmas with their loved ones. However, this won’t be without a (hefty) cost, as flights to the Philippines have seen a steep rise in fare prices.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many Filipinos were not able to return home for at least two years, some even longer due to personal circumstances. This time, however, as things are starting to look better for those who wish to return home based on the drop of COVID cases in the country, there’s another obstacle they must hurdle.
Locsin: Cap On Passenger Flights To Be Lifted To Address Rise In Flight Fare Costs
Locsin said that the number of fully vaccinated overseas workers traveling to the country could increase during the holiday season, the Business Mirror reported.
“We have to raise the cap on arrivals of OFWs fully vaccinated first and foremost in the Middle East so they can come home for Christmas without paying thousands of $ for an economy seat which airlines have to charge to barely recover cost. If vaccinated, let them in,” he said in a tweet.
The Philippine government has imposed a cap of up to 4,000 passengers per day only at the Ninoy Aquino airport. This, as expected, has raised air fares in the country.
In line with this, increasing the number of fflights would address the solution. Moreover, flights to and from Cebu, Clark, and Subic airports would help overseas workers. These airports also have international flights to and from Manila.
“The cap has jacked up economic prices to US$7,000 for economy, denying them means to go home for Christmas,” Locsin said.
While airlines had raised their fees due to the pandemic, it’s still beneficial for the local economy as more people visit the Philippines.
“We can’t have economic recovery of airlines by squeezing to a pulp OFWs’ right to return home, especially for Christmas, or the politicians will have a miserable 2022 Christmas as defeated candidates,” Locsin asserted.
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