CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga, June 6 (PIA) -- Clark International Airport (CRK) resumed operations for international flights carrying Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and limited domestic flights.

About 600 OFWs came home via CRK this week as restrictions are slowly eased following two months of Enhanced Community Quarantine.

CRK welcomed Friday 262 passengers on board an Emirates commercial flight from Dubai, while 342 Filipino seafarers from the Caribbean island nation of Barbados were flown home via a special Philippine Airlines flight on Saturday.

"A one-stop shop was set up at the airport to assist the passengers upon arrival. Booths were also put up to conduct swab tests on the arriving passengers before they were sent to their respective hotels to wait for their COVID-19 test results. The swab samples will be processed at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital," National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer and Bases Conversion and Development Authority President (BCDA) and CEO Vince Dizon said.

"We opened Clark airport to decentralize the arrival of our OFWs so that they will be more comfortable. Our objective is that they will know their COVID-19 test results maximum five days. If they are negative, they can go home," Dizon added.

CRK One-Stop Shop is a collaboration of Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, BCDA and Clark Development Corporation in partnership with Bureau of Quarantine, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine National Police and Department of the Interior and Local Government.

"CRK is proud to support the government's aim to bring home Filipinos stranded overseas. With the successful arrival of these two flights with the help of our partner agencies, we look forward to having more such flights in the coming weeks," LIPAD Corporation Chief Executive Officer Bi Yong Chungunco said.

Emirates will continue with more Clark to Dubai flights this month where eligible passengers can book and buy tickets through their website or through a partner agency.

Another four repatriation flights via Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, AirAsia resumed Saturday its Clark-Cebu flights and will have Clark-Cagayan De Oro beginning June 7, Clark-Puerto Princesa on June 11 and Clark-Davao on June 13. (CLJD-PIA 3)