NAIA opens runaway after Xiamen Air plane is lifted Saturday
The runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reopened after its closure last Thursday evening.
NAIA media affairs said the Xiamen Air plane was removed from international runway 06/24 around 2:30 am Saturday.
The runway was reopened around 11:30 am after it was completely cleared of debris and other foreign object as well as heavy equipment used to lift the aircraft.
Based on its update, NAIA said the Xiamen Air aircraft was transported to the Balagbag ramp after its removal from the runway.
It also recorded at least 30 flights that were cancelled because of the runway closure as of 9:58 am.
Because of the cancelled flights which amounted to 133 as of Friday night, a report showed hundreds of passengers were stranded at NAIA Saturday afternoon.
Transport Secretary Art Tugade apologized for the huge inconvenience caused by the closure of the runaway on Friday.
NAIA said Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal requested airlines to inform their passengers of their revised flight schedules and make sure that their personnel are at hand to attend to passenger concerns.
It can be recalled that,Xiamen Air flight MF8667 with 157 passengers and flight crews onboard went off the NAIA runway when it landed during heavy rain Thursday night.
Eric Apolonio, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson, said investigation is going on determine the cause of the incident.
“Xiamen Airline representatives including flight crews will be summoned on Monday by aircraft accident investigators for interview,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS
