Passengers disembark from their vehicles in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 1 in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, October 6, 2023. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Excluded passengers stuck at one of the terminals of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) may find themselves some reprieve as airport authorities said on Thursday that they will allow airlines to use their lodging facilities to house the stranded travelers.
In a statement, Metro Manila International Airport (Miaa) explained that its general manager, Eric Ines, met with the Airline Operators Council (AOC) and Philippine Airlines on handling the excluded passengers who were denied entry into the country by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) resulting in them being stuck at Naia’s Terminal 1.
This is after BI deputy spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said on Wednesday that it is the airline operators’ responsibility to take care of the passengers they flew into the country.
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“I call upon our airline operators to do their part of the responsibility over passengers who are denied entry into the country. We must remember that though inadmissible, they are still first and foremost, airline passengers. The responsibility of taking care of them does not end there,” Ines was quoted as saying in Miaa’s statement.
According to Naia authorities, the AOC offered to submit to Miaa a proposal on how to address the handling of the stranded passengers as their flights back to their countries of origin may “inevitably” take time.
This proposal from the AOC will be discussed with the BI to ensure that no provision under the Immigration Act will be violated, it added.
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“Philippine Airlines on the other hand said that they will house their excluded passengers in their lounge which is still under construction in NAIA Terminal 1. Meanwhile, passengers of other airlines with existing lounges in Terminals 1 and 3 may be accommodated inside their lounges,” Miaa’s statement continued.
Meanwhile, Ines offered for the airlines to use Miaa’s passenger lodging facilities to give them a more comfortable stay while they are awaiting for flights back to their countries of origin.
“We provide these facilities primarily for transiting passengers but under our guidelines, excluded passengers are given priority,” Miaa’s general manager said.
Miaa’s main lodging facility is located in Terminal 3’s 2nd level with an extension near the terminal’s Gate 116.
The airport authorities said that these rooms have beds, a simple storage facility, toilet and bath, a charging station, and a simple dining area equipped with a refrigerator and a water station. These facilities can accommodate some 33 passengers.
A new lodging facility is due to open soon at Naia Terminal 1, it added.
The country’s main international gateway was put into the spotlight this week as reports of stranded passengers sleeping on gang chairs and cardboard boxes in Naia’s Terminal 1 have surfaced.
The excluded passengers, BI explained, were not allowed entry in the Philippines for various reasons including them being listed by the Interpol or having been convicted of a public charge.