The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus makes it problematic for Danes on vacation in the Philippines to return home to Denmark, according to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as they announced in a press release on the evening of 24 March 2020 that they would install exclusive flights to and from the Philippines in a collaboration between the Danish Foreign Ministry and the travelling industry.
The first flights are expected to take off on 28 March 2020.
“A lot of things need to be prepared before we will succeed with this, but I’m happy to tell that our teamwork with the Filipino authorities to find a good solution for the stranded Danes has been positive and constructive,” says the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod in the press release of the Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry has sent a team of Danish helpers to the Danish Embassy in Manila, who will assist and guide the Danish passengers, who are instructed to be located near the two international airports Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport, so the Danish passengers can get on the flights within a short timeframe.
Information about the purchase of tickets to Copenhagen from either Manila or Cebu has been sent to all the Danes registered on the Philippines. As of 24 March 2020, 236 Danish individuals were registered as needing assistance in returning to Denmark.
The Danish Foreign Ministry stresses in the press release that Danes, who currently are in a foreign country and wishes to return home, shouldn’t expect exclusive flights to every foreign country and to search for commercial flights to return home.
“We have to prioritize the places, where the health- and security situations is a challenge. The Foreign Ministry can only try to install our own exclusive flights in extraordinary situations, where no other solutions are available,” stresses the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
