Philippine Airlines to suspend Kuwait flights as demand falls

(MENAFN- Asia Times) Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced that it will temporarily suspend flights to and from Kuwait from the middle of next month due to low demand.

PAL said on its Facebook page on Saturday that with the government's repatriation program ending and demand for flights to Kuwait down, regular operations were no longer viable.

'With the repatriation effort now complete, the ongoing slowdown in OFW travel to Kuwait has made regular operations economically unsustainable, hence the need to suspend these flights to Kuwait until such time that market conditions on the route improve,' PAL said in a statement.

PAL also noted that the airline repatriated about 900 distressed Filipino workers in Kuwait free of charge earlier this year in response to the Philippine government's efforts to assist the workers.

The airline advised passengers affected by the suspension to rebook or reroute their flights before May 16, saying all charges would be waived. Passengers could get refunds for scheduled flights as well.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait says an estimated 6,500 Filipino workers believed to have overstayed in the Gulf state have yet to sign up for repatriation.

So, these people have just three more days – until April 12 – to apply for the amnesty program and be repatriated to the Philippines, Manila Times reported.

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