The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) met with officials of airline companies in a bid to address the issue of assisting passengers who are denied entry into the country by the Bureau of Immigration.

MIAA General Manager Eric Ines reminded the airlines’ responsibility over these passengers and the need to bring them back to the country of origin as soon as possible once they were turned over by the Immigration authorities. 

“I call upon our airline operators to do their part of the responsibility over passengers who are denied entry into the country.  We must remember that though inadmissible, they are still first and foremost, airline passengers.  The responsibility of taking care of them does not end there,”  Ines said during a meeting with  Airline Operators Council (AOC).

“The airlines may also use MIAA Passenger Lodging Facilities (PLF) for this purpose but subject to the guidelines of its use as stated in MIAA Memorandum Circular No. 3, series 2019.  We provide these facilities primarily for transiting passengers but under our guidelines, excluded passengers are given priority,”  Ines.

MIAA has a main lodging facility at the Terminal 3 located at the 2nd level with an extension near Gate 116.  

These rooms have beds, simple storage, toilet and bath, a charging station and a simple dining area equipped with a refrigerator and a water station.  Combined, these facilities can accommodate 33 passengers.

The AOC, for its part, offered to submit to MIAA a proposal on how to address the handling of excluded passengers who inevitably may take time to be flown back to their country of origin. 

The proposal, it said, will be discussed with the Bureau of Immigration to ensure that no provisions under the Immigration Act will be violated.

The Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, said it will house its excluded passengers in their lounge at the  NAIA Terminal 1.