Secretary-general of InterManager, Captain Kuba Szymanski posted a video on Twitter, stating his discontent for Abu Dhabi-headquartered Airlines company to charge extra $1.500 to fly Filipino seafarers to the Philippines.
Following Philippines extension of the travel ban until 30 June, commercial flights between the United Arab Emirates and Manila operated by Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have been cancelled.
Although, UAE carriers Emirates and Etihad continue to operate to Manila, they are only taking transit passengers with Etihad adding a hefty premium on tickets as available capacity tightens. As a result, Etihad is a key airline moving Filipino seafarers around global.
In light of the above, Captain Kuba Szymanski, the secretary-general of InterManager, the association for third-party shipmanagers, made a video post on Twitter noting that: “This decision it’s a disgrace for Etihad Airlines to charge extra $1,500 to fly Filipino seafarers to the Philippines”.