Transport officials so ‘inefficient,’ Legarda says after Naia runway mishap

A Xiamen Airlines passenger plane lies on its belly on a muddy field after landing in bad weather and skidding off the runway of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday night. There were no casualties but the incident caused widespread flight disruptions. (Photo by MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Sen. Loren Legarda lambasted transport authorities for their “incompetence” and “inefficiency” and told them to shape up after operations at Metro Manila’s primary airport were crippled for more than 24 hours because of a plane that skidded off a runway.

Legarda said that the public expected better service from the officials of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“Napaka-inefficient. Isa lang ang nalihis na eroplano, parang nagulo na yung buong airport. Dapat may Plan A, Plan B, kapag may nangyareng ganyan. Alam na dapat ang gagawin, ready na sana,” Legarda said in an interview with DWIZ.

[They were so inefficient. Just one plane was out place and it seems the whole airport was a mess. They should have a Plan A and a Plan B for such occurrences. They should know what to do and be ready.]

“So there’s really incompetence and inefficiency in the way they ran. We expect better service of Naia and the DOTr,” she added.

Legarda was reacting to an incident that happened on Thursday in which a Xiamen Air jet skidded in one of the runways of Naia, causing the cancelation of hundreds of flights.

The mishap left thousand of passengers stranded at the airport for at least one day.

READ: Dozens of flights affected as plane skids off rain-soaked Naia runway

Airport authorities only declared the reopening of runway 06/24 at 11:28 a.m. of Saturday. Runway 06/24 is the primary runway of the Naia.

READ: MIAA: Naia operations return to normal after 24-hour runway closure

Legarda challenged the DOTr to “shape up” given that its “one of the most important” departments of government.

“They have to shape up because ang transport ang isa sa mga pinakamahalagang eh. Kailangang angkop ang lahat documents and bumilis-bilis ang implement ng mga proyekto,” Legarda said.

[They have to shape up because transport is one of the most important fields. All documents should be appropriate and implementation of projects should be speed up.] /atm