So Why is KLM Still Flying to MNL?
23 November 2021
The Netherlands is on the red list classification by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Under the covid entry restrictions to the Philippines, passengers from red listed countries are prohibited from entering the country.
If this was the case, then Dutch carrier KLM should not be flying to the Philippines from Amsterdam. So why is it still flying to the country via Bangkok despite its red status?
The answer isn't surprising.
IATF mandates that passengers who have been to, or are originating from, a 'Red List' country within the last 14 days will NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE PHILIPPINES, unless they are RETURNING FILIPINOS traveling on government-initiated, non-government-initiated, and Bayanihan repatriation flights.
So does it mean it will only transport Filipinos home? Not necessarily.
Also exempted are diplomats and their dependents, EU nationals who hold long term residence visa in the country, and other cross-border workers. They are also allowed to enter the country.
Passengers who merely transited via Amsterdam Schipol airport to Manila (i.e., stopover at the airport only without immigration admission into a red list country) will also not be deemed as having been to this 'Red List' country. Such passengers will need to present their ticket or boarding pass upon arrival to the Philippine Immigration officials.
Since almost all its passengers are Filipinos coming from different parts of the EU who is required or mandated to fly home it basically makes KLM a local carrier doing "bayanihan flights". It sometimes carry a different flight number to Manila to highlight its charter status.
And so KLM flies all Filipinos home from Amsterdam to Manila. To qualify for flight exemption though, It must not changed its pilots and flight crew on its way to Manila. They must stay on the aircraft while at the airport waiting for embarkation. So KLM carries the return crew for flight home on the same flight. There is no quarantine restriction on its flight home other than the digital covid19 vaccination certificate, and the negative RT-PCR infection test.
The airline arrangement on the carriage of the return crew is not uncommon at this time of pandemic, as Philippine Airlines does the same thing for its flights to Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Returning Filipinos and EU resident workers who originate from the Netherlands must undergo a fourteen (14)-day quarantine period (10 days at quarantine hotels/facilities plus home quarantine for the next days until completion). They will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on the seventh day (the date of arrival being the first day).
The Netherlands will be on the red list together with Faroe Islands from the period November 16 to 30, 2021.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) added Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy to the red list beginning December 1.
ReplyDeleteAlso on the red list are South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique.
“Inbound international travel of all persons, regardless of vaccination status, coming from or who have been to red list countries/jurisdictions/territories within the last 14 days prior to arrival to any port of the Philippines shall not be allowed,” Nograles said.
Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation and so-called Bayanihan (Cooperation) flights will be allowed entry subject to the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for red list countries/jurisdictions/territories.
Passengers already in transit and all those who have been to the red list countries/territories/jurisdictions within 14 days immediately preceding arrival to the Philippines and who arrive before 12:01 a.m. of November 30 will not be subject to restrictions.
They will undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days with testing on the seventh day, with day 1 being the date of arrival, notwithstanding a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result.
On the other hand, passengers who arrived before November 28 and are currently undergoing quarantine pursuant to the classifications of their country of origin will complete their testing and quarantine protocols.
In the case of passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, merely transiting through the red countries, they will not be deemed as having come from or having been to the said country if they stayed at the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities.