Save PH airline industry amid pandemic — Concepcion

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MANILA, Philippines — Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion on Saturday stressed the need to save the country’s airline industry amid travel restrictions that were imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concepcion said he recently spoke with top officials of major airlines in the country who relayed their concerns about their business operations amid government-imposed restrictions on travel.

“To protect them from bankruptcy and ultimately closing the airlines, airlines have to be viable. Right now the mobility of tourism is kind of restricted. If the airlines do not become viable and they close, masisira ‘yung ibang sektor natin ng tourism (tourism may be affected),” he said at the Laging Handa public briefing.

Concepcion said local airlines have presented ideas to sustain their business operations.

“We have ideas, katulad ng quarantine, siguro with the idea of Philippine Airlines which was presented, maybe we can reduce the quarantine of incoming passengers back home to the Philippines down from 10 days plus four days at home to maybe seven days.

(We have ideas like the idea presented by the Philippine Airlines to reduce the quarantine of incoming passengers from the current 10-day facility-based and four-day home quarantine to maybe seven days.)

“Malaking bagay din ‘yan sa mga gastos ng turista na dumarating dito, maski local tourists tayo. So maraming ideas, at ang tingin namin there is no choice but we have to save our airlines sector natin, kasi kung masira ang airline sector natin, masisira ang tourism sector natin.

(This will lower the costs imposed on tourists. So there are a lot of ideas, and we think there is no choice but to save our airline sector because otherwise, our tourism sector will be affected.)

“This is the group that we are trying to help because they are in danger right now, the way I see it, of business viability,” said Concepcion.

Under present guidelines, only fully vaccinated travelers from countries under the “green list” qualify for a seven-day facility-based quarantine instead of 10 days.

/MUF