PAL readies emergency flights for Filipinos in Korea

Should the tension in the Korean peninsula erupt into a full-blown conflict, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) is ready to mount emergency flights to evacuate Filipinos in South Korea. PAL officials discussed plans for the the special repatriation flights following a meeting with the Office of the President and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “We informed Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa that PAL has available aircraft that it can use for emergency flights to repatriate Filipinos who might be trapped in the dispute between North and South Korea," said PAL president and COO Jaime J. Bautista on Thursday. “We want to assure the government and our ‘kababayans’ in South Korea that the national flag carrier is always ready to assist in times of emergency and lend a helping hand in their hour of need," he added. The government and PAL are also identifying the possible pick-up areas in South Korea where PAL planes could safely land to ferry Filipinos back to the Philippines. “We fervently hope that the conflict in Korea would soon end, but we can’t take things for granted. That’s why we have thrown our full cooperation and support to government in case of a worst case scenario," Bautista said. Flights to Seoul, Busan continue Meanwhile, PAL continues its regular flights to Seoul and Busan until advised otherwise by Philippine or South Korean authorities. PAL currently flies Manila-Seoul twice a day, to Busan four times a week, and daily from Cebu to Seoul. The PAL staff in Korea, with the help of the Philippine embassy in South Korea, have been updating the PAL management about the situation in that country. – VVP, GMANews.TV