MANILA, Philippines — A medical emergency forced a United States-bound plane to land in Japan before turning back to the Philippines, said the Manila International Airport Authority.
Sen. Manny Pacquiao was among the 186 passengers of Philippine Airlines flight PR-102 bound for Los Angeles, which departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Cielo Villaluna, spokesperson for PAL, said five hours into the flight, one of the passengers suffered a medical emergency, which prompted the aircraft to land at Haneda airport in Japan.
Villaluna explained that PR-102 could no longer proceed to the United States because “the landing permit was only for 7 p.m. of July 3, LA time until midnight.”
The passengers, including Pacquiao, were put in the next flight to Los Angeles, PR-5102, which departed around 2 p.m.