Cebu Pacific aircraft stalls at Zamboanga airport runway

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had shut down the Zamboanga International Airport after an aircraft of Cebu Pacific suffered a steering problem and got stuck on the runway on Monday.

Charo Logarta Lagamon, the corporate communication officer of Cebu Pacific, said in an advisory that airport authorities had decided to temporarily close the airport from outgoing and incoming traffic because of the incident that took place between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

The affected aircraft was Cebu Pacific’s Manila-bound flight 5J 849. Lagamon said the airplane had already been towed out of the runway around 8:33 a.m., and assured that all of its passengers were safely deplaned.

“(The) aircraft used by Cebu Pacific flight 5J 849 (Manila-Zamboanga) has stopped on the runway of the Zamboanga International Airport due to a steering fault,” Lagamon said.

The temporary closure of the Zamboanga airport due to the stalled aircraft consequently delayed trips for the following Cebu Pacific flights:

5J 851 Manila – Zamboanga

5J 839 Zamboanga – Tawi Tawi

5J 840 Zamboanga – Tawi Tawi

“We regret that the aircraft has caused the temporary closure of the Zamboanga International Airport runway,” Lagamon noted.

“We will provide updates as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience this incident has caused,” she added.

Zamboanga International Airport caters to at least 10 outbound and inbound flights per day.  /kga