Mactan Cebu Int’l Airport opens for four hours to ease congestion

FILE PHOTO: The Mactan-Cebu International Airport. CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY — Runway operations at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) were temporarily opened for departures from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday to lessen the number of stranded passengers.

In an advisory sent to reporters, Lawyer Glenn Napuli, assistant general manager of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority, said airlines permitted for the departures should be in touch with their passengers for the necessary pre-departure and check-in procedures.

READ: LIST: Canceled flights after Korean plane overshoots runway at Mactan airport

“All passengers are advised to monitor their flights before proceeding to the airport and coordinate with their respective airlines for the status of their flights,” he said.

There were no announcements yet on whether or not more departures would be allowed at the airport on Tuesday.

All domestic and international flights were temporarily cancelled after a Korean Air plane veered off the runway of the MCIA during a heavy downpour near midnight on Sunday, October 23.

A total of 162 passengers and 11 crew members on board the Korean Air flight number KE631 were safely deplaned.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco directed personnel at the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7) stationed at the MCIA to coordinate with airport authorities and offer immediate assistance to stranded travelers.

In a statement, the DOT said some 530 stranded outbound international passengers had been accommodated in hotels shouldered by the concerned airlines while waiting for the resumption of flights at the MCIA.