Bad weather prompts diversion of flights to Clark airport

(Updated)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga has been put on alert for local and international flights diverting from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City due to monsoon rains in northern and Central Luzon.

On Saturday, three more airplanes were diverted to CRK from Naia. Cebu Pacific Air flights to Hong Kong, Davao and Tagbilaran City in Bohol province were sent to CRK due to poor visibility, according to the state-owned Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC)

Nineteen airplanes took refuge at CRK on Friday night, although only four remained parked at the airport by Saturday noon, said lawyer Emigdio Tanjuatco III, CIAC president and chief executive officer.

The four aircraft are owned by Cebu Pacific Air and Etihad, he said. The planes’ passengers disembarked on Friday, and were provided bus rides to Metro Manila.

All planes landed safely at CRK, and were able to refuel, Tanjuatco said.

The CIAC air command center said those diverted to Clark were: Cebu Pacific flights from Tagbilaran, Vigan, Cebu, El Nido, Dipolog, Caticlan, Mactan, and Bacolod; a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong; a Zest Air flight from Tagbilaran; an Airphil flight from Iloilo; a Kuwait Airways flight from Kuwait; an Emirates Airline flight from Dubai; a Philippine Airlines flight from Honolulu; an ITI Air flight from Taiwan; a China Southern flight from Gungzhou; and a Singapore Airline flight from Singapore.

Ten airlines serving Asian routes through Clark were not disrupted by the diverted planes, Tanjuatco said.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte had tasked the Department of Transportation to transfer several domestic and international flights to CRK in order to ease air traffic congestion at Naia.

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(This article was originally published on Aug. 13 at 1:21 p.m.)