Manila aircraft incident a ‘wake-up call’
Manila airport resumes full operations after a runway was shut down for 36 hours
Philippine transportation secretary Arthur Tugade issued a public apology to thousands of passengers affected by a runway incident on Thursday evening that delayed scheduled flights.
On Thursday evening, Xiamen Air flight MF8667 had just touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 11:55pm when it suddenly veered off the runway during a heavy downpour.
All 157 passengers and flight crew were safe, but the incident caused delays in the passenger inbound and outbound queue, as international runway 06/24 was rendered temporarily out of service.
In a statement issued yesterday, Tugade described the incident involving the Xiamen Air Boeing 787 aircraft as “an eye opener,” as the accident shut down a runway at the Manila airport for 36 hours.
“It is a reminder for us to take a second look at the processes, procedures, and protocols of concerned agencies, as well as airlines, so that we may all improve in the future,” Tugade said, while apologising for the inconvenience caused by the apparent accident.
The runway resumed operations at noon on Saturday.
Major crowding
One of the engines of the twin turbofan Boeing 787 was torn off from the impact as the aircraft skidded off the runway during landing, amid a heavy downpour.
Thousands of passengers who were scheduled to board international and regional fights were unable to do so, causing massive crowding in the lobby of the three main airports in Manila, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1,2, 3 and 4.
Tugade said as much as the airport authorities were tested, it was also a test for carriers. “It is a regrettable experience, which is not of our own liking, nor of our own making. I am sorry. We did our very best to address the situation,” he said.
Dozens of international and local flights were affected. ■