Flights between Davao, Jinjiang to be suspended after Feb. 5

DAVAO CITY –– The twice-weekly direct flight between the cities of Davao and Jinjiang in Fujian, China will be suspended because of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) emergency, the Chinese consulate here said.

In a Jan. 31 statement, the Chinese Consulate General in Davao said this decision took consideration of “the current pneumonia epidemic caused by the new coronavirus, and to ensure public health and safety…”

The route, which is served by Xiamen Air, was launched in 2018, in keeping with a sisterhood pact between the two cities. It has since helped boost tourist arrivals into the Davao region.

Aside from Davao, Xiamen Air also has flights to Manila, Cebu, and Kalibo.

The statement said the decision to suspend the Jinjiang-Davao-Jinjiang direct flight was arrived at “through friendly consultations” between the Davao city government, the Chinese consulate, and Xiamen Air.

The remaining flights expected are on Feb. 2 and Feb. 5.

The suspension will be in effect “until the epidemic situation improves and when the parties have come to a consensus to resume the said flight,” the statement read.

Also on Friday, the Chinese consulate sought to allay public fears about the condition of the Xiamen Air passengers that landed in Davao on Jan. 29.

In a separate statement, it said that all the passengers were subjected to the standard screening and quarantine procedures in Jinjiang and Davao airports, and were found to have no illness.

The flight to Davao carried five Filipinos and 74 Chinese, some of whom were returning from the Spring Festival holiday.

“All (inbound) passengers had body temperatures below 37.3 degrees Celsius, were not from Hubei Province (the original and most affected place of the novel coronavirus), and none had been to Hubei within the previous 15 days before the travel,” the Consulate explained.

The return flight carried 37 Chinese passengers, all subjected to screening before they boarded the plane./lzb