A Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 plane sits on the grassy part of the landing strip at the international airport in Davao after it overshot the runway during a rainstorm Sunday night. AFP PHOTO / Karlos Manlupig
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Cebu Pacific plane that missed the runway at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport Sunday night, remained stuck at the edge of the runway Tuesday morning, prompting an incensed Davao Mayor Sarah Duterte to plan another visit to the airport later Tuesday.
Duterte told reporters she wanted to find out when the managements of airport and Cebu Pacific would actually tow the plane away as it has been causing flight cancellations since Sunday. Eighty flights have reportedly been canceled since Sunday night but this has not been officially confirmed.
The airport services domestic and some international flights of such airlines as Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Malaysian Air, Garuda Indonesia and ZestAir, among others.
All flights to and from the Davao City airport have been suspended because the stranded plane has rendered the runway unusable because of the hazard it poses to aircraft that might attempt any landing or takeoff.
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the airport management said it still had not found a way to clear the runway.
Cebu Pacific’s flight 5J 971 from Manila was on its final approach around 7:10 p.m. last Sunday when it encountered some turbulence amid heavy rains over Davao. Based on reports from the authorities, made available to journalists, the pilots could not see the runway threshold identifier lights and instead of hitting the runway as they tried to land the plane, they hit the edge of the runway.
None of the passengers were injured but some of them panicked and suffered hypertension.