A Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight bound for Haneda returned for an emergency landing 21-minutes after airborne at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport [NAIA] terminal 2 after smoke was reported in the cabin Monday morning.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said flight PR 422 with 222 passengers and 13 crew on board took off at 9:32 am when pilots identified as Capt. E. de Guzman and 2nd officer A. Ugalino radioed Manila Control Tower requesting for emergency landing.

The plane, an Airbus A340-300 series with registry number RP-C3435, landed safely at around 9:52 a.m.

Villaluna said the plane underwent an operational assessment to find out why this happened.

All passengers were given meals and transferred to another aircraft which left NAIA terminal 2 at 2:46 pm, Villaluna said. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience,” Villaluna added. DMS