Press Release No. EBB-24-2020

309 Filipino workers from jeddah and the WESTERN Region of KSA return to manila via special saudia flight

JEDDAH, 17 June 2020–– A total of 309 Filipino workers based in Jeddah and other parts of the Western Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia departed for the Philippines from Jeddah, KSA on 16 June 2020 via Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA). From Jeddah, the flight made a stop in Riyadh to pick up twenty-two (22) more Filipino passengers, for a grand total of 321 Filipino repatriates. The flight is estimated to arrive in Manila on 17 June at 1:40 P.M.

The special flight is among the few international flights from Jeddah to the Philippines that received approval from both Saudi and Philippine government authorities even as regular international flights between the two countries remain suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most of the passengers of the special flight are Filipino workers who have been economically displaced after the closure of their respective companies due to the Covid-19 crisis.

More special flights are being arranged by the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, and the Department of Foreign Affairs to repatriate more Filipinos in the Kingdom. –END-