Cebu Pacific Readies OFW Repatriation Flights from Kuwait

Cebu Pacific, together with fellow-local airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), are starting preparations for mounting special flights from Kuwait to aid distressed OFWs that need repatriation.

Cebu Pacific OFW Repatriation

This is in response to President Duterte's order to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to bring home OFW who need assistance. The president also announced that he wants these overseas Filipino workers be be able to come home from Kuwait within 3 days.

"Cebu Pacific is mounting a special charter flight from Kuwait to Manila for free. This is in response to the call for assistance by the government to repatriate Filipino workers in Kuwait," Cebu Pacific said in a statement.

Fighting for Demafelis

This is in connection with the recent reported death (whose body was found inside a freezer) of OFW Joanna Daniela Demafelis.

OFW Repatriation from Kuwait to Manila

As per the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there are some 86,019 Filipinos in the Kuwait as of 2015.

Update (February 21, 2018): 

"Cebu Pacific mounted a special charter flight to airlift the OFWs back to the Philippines, deploying an Airbus A330 aircraft—the largest in its fleet—to allow Philippine embassy officials in Kuwait to accommodate more OFWs. The OFWs aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 021 were also provided free baggage allowance, as well as hot meals for dinner and breakfast, bottled water and coffee, for the duration of the 9 ½ hour flight." - according to Cebu Pacific website.

Cebu Pacific provided airlift support for 396 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were repatriated from Kuwait February 21, 2018 (Updated).

Cebu Pacific has previously announced that it would shoulder the cost of the entire charter flight, offering the airlift for free, in response to the call for assistance by the government to repatriate Filipino workers in Kuwait.

Last month, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) suspended of the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait pending investigation on the death of OFW Joanna Daniela Demafelis.