Tacloban airport runway blocked, flights cancelled
TACLOBAN CITY – Flights have been cancelled here Sunday due to a plane that skidded Saturday afternoon and continues to block the airport runway.
Cebu Pacific (CEB) said the following flights using Airbus aircraft to and from Tacloban are cancelled January 18:
5J 651/652 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
5J 653/654 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
5J 657/658 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
5J 659/660 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
5J 426/427 Cebu – Tacloban – Cebu
“CEB arranged additional flights to re-accommodate affected passengers in the soonest available flights or they may avail any of the following options: Free rebooking for travel within 30 days from original departure date; or full refund or travel fund,” CEB said in its website.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) also cancelled its following flights Sunday:
– PR/2P 2981/2982
Original
ETD MNL 4:45AM
ETD TAC 6:40AM
– PR /2P2987/2988
Original
ETD MNL 2:35PM
ETD TAC 4:30PM
– PR/2P2985/2986
Original
ETD MNL 12:55PM
E TD TAC 2:55PM
– PR/2P2989/2990
Original
ETD MNL 6:20PM
ETD TAC 8:15PM
“Passengers will be re-accommodated tomorrow on the following replacement flights utilizing Q300/Q400 aircraft,” PAL said in its Facebook account, citing the following rerouted flights.
Q400 aircraft:
2P5681 MNL-TAC 1720 1850
2P5682 TAC-MNL 1910 2040
2P5981 MNL-TAC 1200 1330
2P5982 TAC-MNL 1350 1520
2P5985 MNL-TAC 1540 1710
2P5986 TAC-MNL 1730 1900
2P5987 MNL-TAC 1920 2050
2P5988 TAC-MNL 2110 2240
2P5989 MNL-TAC 1850 2020
2P5990 TAC-MNL 2040 2210
2P5581 MNL-TAC 1130 1300
2P5582 TAC-MNL 1320 1450
2P5587 MNL-TAC 1510 1640
2P5588 TAC-MNL 1700 1830
2P5983 MNL-TAC 1710 1840
2P5984 TAC-MNL 1900 2030
Q300 aircraft
FLIGHT # ROUTING ETD ETA
2P5583 MNL-TAC 1510 1655
2P5584 TAC-MNL 1715 1900
2P5585 MNL-TAC 1645 1830
2P5586 TAC-MNL 1850 2035
Tigerair cancelled the following flights using Airbus aircraft to and from Tacloban on January 18:
DG7042/7043 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
DG7044/7045 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
“We have arranged additional flights to re-accommodate affected passengers in the soonest available flights or they may avail any of the following options: Free rebooking for travel within 30 days from original departure date; and full refund or travel fund,” Tigerair said in its Facebook account.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said only flights by smaller planes which can land for 1,500 meters can take off from the airport, but this is only allowed until 8:59 a.m., Sunday (January 18, 2015).
The restricted use of the runway will be effective 9 a.m. Sunday until 9 p.m. January 20, Tuesday.
Only jets or turbo-propeller planes such as Bombardier Dash 8 and ATR 72-500 that has a seating capacity of 72 are allowed to land in the aircraft, CAAP said.
The government plane blocking the runway went off the runway shortly after Pope Francis’ plane took off from his visit to supertyphoon “Yolanda” victims here Saturday.
CAAP said the Bombardier GL50 executive aircraft carrying 12 Cabinet members “swerved and rolled” 50 meters from the grassy portion of the runway. The plane got hit by a “strong crosswind” brought by Tropical Storm “Amang” while it was taxing for take off, it added.
Leyte was then placed under signal number 2 due to Amang.
The plane was carrying Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista, Undersecretary Felizardo Serapio, Jr., eight other Cabinet members, and three plane crew members.
They all got off the plane uninjured, authorities said.
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