PAL, Cebu Pacific start Thailand airlift

A special Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight departed yesterday afternoon for Chiang Mai in Thailand to pick up 433 stranded Filipino passengers, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal said.

The passengers started moving out of Bangkok at around 5 a.m. yesterday for a 10-hour travel to Chiang Mai International Airport where the PAL 747 was waiting to bring them back to Manila. They were expected to arrive in Manila at midnight.

Cebu Pacific was also scheduled to send a 179-seater Airbus last night to Thailand to help in the airlift of Filipino passengers stranded by the shutdown of two Bangkok airports seized by Thai protesters demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

“We have made all the arrangements and have just received our permit to land in Utapao, which is about one and a half hours from Bangkok,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s vice president for marketing and distribution.

She said the rescue flight was to leave at 9 last night and be back at 5 a.m. today.

Iyog said non-Cebu Pacific passengers would be accommodated if there were seats available on the flight.

PAL is sending another aircraft to Chiang Mai today for the passengers who cannot be accommodated in earlier flights to Manila.

“PAL is dispatching another aircraft to Chiang Mai at 3 p.m. today to pick up stranded Filipinos. It will be sending an Airbus 320 for the ferry flight, which can accommodate 156 passengers,” PAL spokesman Rolando Estabillo said.

The PAL flight was scheduled to fly back to Manila at around 8 p.m. with the first batch of airlifted passengers.

The Philippine Embassy assisted the stranded passengers from hotels to the Bitec Center to Utapao military base near Bangkok.

DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. explained that priority was given to passengers with PAL tickets and the 89 overseas Filipino workers transiting from Kuwait but were stranded in Bangkok.

Conejos said the 89 OFWs holding tickets from Thai Airways were endorsed to PAL because of arrangements between the two airline companies.

“All our stranded passengers are being taken care of since the closure of airports in Thailand. We are making arrangements for flights to bring them home as soon as possible,” Conejos said in a press conference.

He added that the PAL technical team that inspected the Utapao military airbase and Chiang Mai International Airport recommended to land in Chang Mai because it is technically feasible.

“Because of the crisis we cannot wait so the DFA decided to advance the ticket cost subject to reimbursement from Thai Airways. We authorized the disbursement of US$30,000,” he said.

According to Conejos, the US$30,000 disbursed includes the US$2,000 emergency fund for the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok to help provide basic necessities to stranded Filipinos and the cost of transporting them to Chiang Mai and other airports where they will be picked up.

“We will collect them from Thai Airways. Non-PAL passengers will pay for their tickets. Most of them are tourists,” he said.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand’s premiere airport, has been closed since Tuesday after it was occupied by thousands of anti-government protestors forcing the cancellations of all flights in and out of Bangkok.

The takeover of the airport was carried out while the Prime Minister was attending the Asia-Pacific summit in Peru.

The embassy recommended on Wednesday the postponement of non-essential travel to Bangkok by Filipino travelers because of escalation of violence and the campaign to oust Somchai.

Jamby among stranded

Sen. Jamby Madrigal is among those stranded in Thailand after protesters took over major airports in Bangkok last week, according to

Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Antonio Rodriguez.

“[Madrigal] is also waiting for an opportunity to go back to the Philippines because she has to be there by Wednesday,” Rodriguez told ABS-CBN News Channel.

He said that aside from Madrigal, at least 31 local officials of Lanao del Norte were also stranded in Bangkok including Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo and former governor Imelda Dimaporo.

He said Dimaporo’s group went to Bangkok for a business trip.

Rodriguez said an estimated 300 Filipinos are awaiting repatriation to the Philippines. “I think some of them are still somewhere in Thailand, enjoying the place. That’s why it is very difficult for us to give an accurate number of Filipinos who are still in Bangkok. Thailand is such a big place and it’s so easy to go to so many places,” he said.

The ambassador accompanied the Filipinos to Chiang Mai to see them off and will be heading back to Bangkok on the same bus.

It can be recalled that the Thai government has provided 2,000 baht per day, per stranded passenger for their hotel accommodation and meals.

“So far I haven’t heard anybody complain about the insufficiency of the amount provided by the Thai government,” he said. – Pia Lee-Brago