Iloilo International Airport remains closed for another day

Passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 461 slide down through an emergency exit on a chute after the plane overshoots the runway of the Iloilo International Airport on Friday night, Oct. 13, 2017. (Photo from the Facebook page of LOUI LATOZA)

ILOILO CITY — The suspension of operations of the Iloilo International Airport was extended for another day until Sunday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

The airport will be opened at 7 p.m. Sunday instead of the earlier schedule of 6 p.m. Saturday.

The airport was closed 11:58 pm Friday after a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila swerved and overshot Runway 20 after landing.

All the 180 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated from the Airbus 320.

Investigators from CAAP and the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board and the recovery team arrived Saturday morning via the Roxas City, Capiz airport, according to a CAAP statement issued Saturday evening.

Additional equipment was also flown in from Manila to help operations to clear the runway, according to the statement. –Nestor P. Burgos Jr. /atm