Budget carrier Cebu Pacific, operated by Cebu Air, Inc., on Friday rolled out its Test Before Boarding program for Hong Kong-bound travelers.
This comes after Hong Kong’s 14-day ban on Cebu Pacific from transporting passengers from Manila ended on Sept. 16. Separate bans were placed on both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines after some passengers tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) upon arrival.
Cebu Pacific will now require all passengers to be tested and receive negative results at the airport before being allowed to travel. The airline in a statement on Friday said it will shoulder the antigen test costs until Sept. 30.
“Antigen test results will be released within 30 minutes, and only passengers with negative results may proceed to the check-in area,” the airline said.
Passengers who are not able to take the test or those who receive a positive COVID-19 result will not be allowed to check in. Those guests may rebook, store money in a travel fund, or request for a refund.
Antigen testing for Hong Kong-bound travelers is available from 1:30 a.m.-3:30 a.m. six times weekly.
Passengers travelling to Hong Kong must also submit negative RT-PCR test results done within 72 hours before the scheduled departure time. — Jenina P. Ibañez