Night flights halted at Cebu airport after runway mishap

STUCK The Korean Air plane that overshot the runway of Mactan Cebu International Airport on Sunday night remained stuck on a grassy area on Tuesday as airport authorities prepare to transfer the aircraft to another section of the facility. (Photo courtesy of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junar Chan)

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Operations at Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) have yet to return to normal as authorities will need more time to complete the removal of the Korean Air plane that overshot the runway on Sunday night.

According to lawyer Glenn Napuli, assistant general manager of Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority, flights are allowed only from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next 14 days, or until such time that the plane, stuck at the edge of the runway, will be moved to a safer location.

Napuli, in a statement on Tuesday, said evening flights were also not possible since the airport’s approach lights, which guide aircraft at night, were damaged after these were hit by the Airbus A330 aircraft arriving from Incheon, South Korea.

Probe

At daytime, the airport can accommodate all types of aircraft even with the use of a shorter runway spanning 2.7 kilometers, instead of the full 3.3 km.

When the airport resumed partial operations at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, the first plane to arrive was a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila. A departure flight was also allowed to fly to Bacolod at 6 a.m.

Authorities, led by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board, have started an investigation to determine what caused the plane to overshoot the runway at 11:11 p.m. on Sunday.

Napuli said the process to remove the aircraft would take time because safety procedures needed to be followed. Defueling, for instance, took several hours to finish.

WAITING GAME | Passengers wait for their flights at Mactan Cebu International Airport on Tuesday as airport operations were disrupted by a runway accident on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of LOU-ANNE MAE RONDINA / Balitang Bisdak)

A crane had been placed near the aircraft to transport it to another portion of the airport, away from the runway.

Napuli said the transfer of the aircraft was estimated to take two to three days, depending on the weather. The resumption of 24/7 operations at MCIA is expected in two weeks.

Help desks were also put up at the airport for all passengers, including overseas Filipino workers and tourists visiting Cebu.

Napuli said close to 200 flights from Oct. 23 to Oct. 24 were affected by the incident.

The Korean Air plane veered off the runway amid a heavy downpour on Sunday night. Reports said 162 passengers and 11 crew members on board were able to exit the plane safely. At least eight had minor injuries and received immediate treatment while most of the passengers already left the airport for their destinations.

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