THE ILOILO International Airport resumed operation at 2 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 16, after the Cebu Pacific aircraft that overshot the runway Friday evening was finally extracted and the runway cleared.
“The technical (team) still analyzed what equipment was needed. The foundation was still strong on the first day so they thought the equipment available in the area would suffice. But the weather is a contributory factor resulting in a soft soil. The nose gear of the plane sank into the ground by 20 inches because of the rain,” Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Eric B. Apolonio said in a phone interview.
Mr. Apolonio said additional aircraft lifting equipment had to be flown in from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila.
A probe on the incident has commenced, he added, and investigators were to extract the flight data recorder from the Cebu Pacific A320 aircraft, which was parked at the airport’s Bay#7 as of press time.
It was the 4th runway excursion involving a Cebu Pacific plane since 2013. The others were in Davao City on June 3, 2013; Butuan City, Feb. 15, 2014; and most recently, in Cebu last Aug. 4, 2017.
CAAP closed the Iloilo airport late evening of Oct. 13 after the Cebu Pacific aircraft carrying 180 passengers from Manila veered off the runway.
All passengers were rescued.
“The airport is now open for operations. We thank the riding public and the affected passengers for their kind understanding,” Mr. Apolonio said.
The Iloilo airport, the main gateway to the Western Visayas region, caters to 42 inbound and outbound flights daily. — Louine Hope U. Conserva
