A total of 442 Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates have safely arrived in Manila aboard a Philippine government-chartered Boeing 747-400 flight, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac announced on Friday.
“We have landed. 442 Filipinos from the UAE on the PHL Government-chartered B747-400 flight as directed by President Bongbong Marcos are home,” Cacdac posted on his official Facebook page.
The flight, which departed from Fujairah International Airport, was fully funded by the Philippine government. Cacdac personally accompanied the passengers for the duration of the trip.
Of the 442 who made it home, around 270 were overseas Filipino workers and their dependents, while more than 130 were stranded tourists who had been unable to leave the UAE amid ongoing regional airspace disruptions triggered by the Middle East conflict.
The government had initially allocated 480 seats for the special flight. The final passenger count of 442 suggests some seats went unfilled.
