A CHINESE passenger plane went off a runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippines’ main gateway, on Thursday night amid heavy rains, causing the cancellation or delay of many flights and the airport’s overcrowding as of Friday evening, Aug. 17.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that said runway 06/24 was closed until 4:00 p.m. of Friday “due to the disabled aircraft.” This was later extended to 7:00 p.m., then extended anew, as of this reporting, to 12 noon of Saturday, Aug. 18.
According to an update by CAAP on Friday, the plane, a Xiamen Airlines Boeing B737 type aircraft with flight MF8667, landed at the runway at 11:55 p.m. on Aug. 16 and “encountered runway excursion after landing.”
All 157 passengers and 8 crew were safe and was attended to by airport staff at NAIA’s Terminal 1, CAAP also said, adding that the aircraft is now at a grassy area near the perimeter road in front of the Communications, Navigations, Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) antenna.
Agence France-Presse reported on Friday that the “aircraft is still resting on its belly near the end of the airport’s main runway where it came to a stop after the accident,” adding that it has “forced a partial shutdown of the Philippines’ main airport Friday.”
CAAP in its update on Friday evening said a total of 69 flights were cancelled, 10 flights diverted, and two Cathay Pacific flights reinstated. It identified the following affected and cancelled flights:
Terminal 1 affected flights:
Etihad Airways flight EY 421 (MNL-ABU DHABI)
Saudi Airlines flight SV 871 (MNL-JEDDAH)
Hongkong Airlines flight HX 781 (HONG KONG-MNL)
China Airlines flight CI 711 (KHH — MNL)
China Airlines flight CI 712 (MNL — KHH)
Terminal 2 affected flights:
PAL flight PR 453 (MNL-GES)
PAL flight PR 454 (GES-MNL)
PAL flight PR 1845 (MNL-CEB)
PAL flight PR 1846 (CEB-MNL)
PAL flight PR 432 (MNL-TOKYO)
PAL flight PR 408 (MNL-OSAKA)
PAL flight PR 438 (MNL-NAGOYA)
PAL Express flight 2P 2959 (MNL-CDO)
Terminal 3 affected flights:
Cathay Pacific flight CX 908 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cathay Pacific flight CX 912 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cathay Pacific flight CX 907 (HONGKONG-MNL)
Cathay Pacific flight CX 906 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cathay Pacific flight CX 901 (HONGKONG-MNL)
Cathay Pacific flight CX 900 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cancelled flights of Cebu Pacific:
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 272 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 273 (HONGKONG-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 5054 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 5055 (NARITA-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 929 (MNL-BANGKOK)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 930 (BANGKOK-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 110 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 111 (HONGKONG-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 805 (MNL-SIN)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 806 (SIN-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 112 (MNL-HONGKONG)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 113 (HONGKONG-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 014 (MNL-DUBAI)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 015 (DUBAI-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 188 (MNL-INCHEON)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 187 (INCHEON-MNL)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 487 (MNL-BACOLOD)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 488 (BACOLOD-MNL)
Diverted Flights:
Philippine Airlines flight PR 105 (SAN FRANCISCO — MNL — DIVERTED TO CEBU)
Philippine Airlines flight PR 103 (LOS ANGELES — MNL — DIVERTED TO CLARK)
Philippine Airlines flight PR 117 (VANCOUVER — MNL — DIVERTED TO CEBU)
Philippine Airlines flight PR 115 (SAN FRANCISCO — MNL — DIVERTED TO CLARK)
Philippine Airlines flight PR 119 (TORONTO — MNL — DIVERTED TO CLARK)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 187 (INCHEON — MNL — DIVERTED TO CLARK)
Cebu Pacific flight 5J 804 (SIN — MNL — DIVERTED TO CLARK)

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