Manila airport reopens 36 hours after air mishap

MANILA: Officials on Saturday announced that operations at the country’s premier Ninoy Aquino International airport( na ia) returned to normal 36 hours after a Chinese commercial plane skidded on the main runway, forcing the cancellation of at least 135 local and international lights that stranded thousands of passengers.

Transportation Secretary Arthur TUGADE Apologized For THE LIGHT Delays, saying: “I am saddened by the inconveniences and consequences brought about by the incident involving Xiamen Air,” referring to the plane that skidded on the main runway after landing in bad weather shortly before midnight on Thursday.

Tugade added the incident was an “eye-opener and a reminder” for the government and airline companies to review and improve aviation protocols in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Ed Monreal, the head of the Manila International Authority (MIAA) that operates NAIA, reported that the airport resumed normal operations at noon on Saturday after they succeeded in removing the plane from the area where it skidded while landing amid heavy rain.

Monreal admitted they encountered trouble in removing the plane since the soil where the plane rested was softened by heavy rain which state weathermen said was brought by the southwest monsoon and enhanced by storms that visited the country.

Aside from the cancellation of the 135 local AND International lights, Monreal SAID they Also DIVERTED 17 other lights DUE at NAIA to the country’s other airports especially Clark in Pampanga province in Central Luzon and Cebu in the Visayas, as well as to Bangkok in Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

He echoed the apology of Tugade for THE LIGHT Delays that INCONVENIENCED thousands of travellers cramped at the NAIA departure halls while waiting for the airport to reopen.