Other BriefingsUAE, Philippines, Sign Aviation Cooperation Agreements
Manila targets Filipino and Western expats in the UAE as a home and tourism destination
The UAE and the Philippines have signed an MoU in Cebu concerning trade and airfreight ties. The MoU was signed after a round of talks involving representatives of local business sectors and the countries respective national air carriers on September 19-20.
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director-general of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), stated that “The vision of the UAE’s leadership has led to adopting an open skies policy, which has boosted its competitiveness, openness, and economic flexibility, as well as its regional and global leadership. The GCAA prioritises strengthening aviation cooperation frameworks in strategic markets for national carriers to support their operations in international markets and ensure their direct access to economic, commercial, and tourism markets.”
Emirates Airlines and Philippine Airlines (PAL) expanded their interline agreement which they commenced earlier this year. In March, the two carriers agreed an interline partnership wherein Emirates passengers were granted access to 19 Philippine domestic destinations operated by PAL, including Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Cotabato, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo, among others, as well as two Asian regional points via Manila.
Now, as part of an expanded interline agreement, Emirates passengers can now access domestic points in PAL’s network via Cebu and Clark (Angeles City).
The agreement also looks at increasing air cargo from 200 to 600 tonnes per week for every national carrier and approving the operation of Airbus A380 aircraft.
Filipinos make up over 6% of the UAE’s total population with about 700,000 Filipino expats working in the Emirates. The country is also looking to expand its tourism both to UAE nationals and the significant expatriate population also based in the UAE.
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