THE Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reopened its international runway 06/24 shortly before 12 noon Saturday, August 18, more than 24 hours after it was shut down due to a stalled aircraft.
Thousands of passengers packed the check-in area of NAIA Terminal 1 as flights have either been cancelled or delayed since Friday dawn because of the incident.
“All of the lines are intersecting. No one can figure out where to go,” said Paolo Bago, an eSports caster for ESPN who is on his way to Vancouver, Canada to cast for the Philippines in the DOTA esports championship tournament The International 2018.
He said the airlines nor the airport management have not sent them any updates on when their flights could leave.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, in a statement issued shortly after the runway was reopened on Saturday, apologized for the inconvenience caused by the incident involving Xiamen Air.
“It is a regrettable experience, which is not of our own liking, nor of our own making. I am sorry. We did our very best to address the situation,” he stated.
He said the incident served as an eye-opener for both the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and airport authorities to review the “processes, procedures, and protocols of concerned agencies, as well as airlines.”
Xiamen Air Flight MF8667 skidded off the runway at 11:55 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, during a heavy downpour. All 157 passengers and flight crew were safely evacuated.
The disabled aircraft was lifted using two mobile cranes from the site of the accident and transported to the Balagbag Ramp Saturday dawn.
The runway was shut down until Saturday noon, however, to give way for the demobilization of heavy equipment used to lift the aircraft and clearing operations at the runway.
In a statement earlier Saturday, Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal apologized to the passengers affected by the flight delays and cancellations.
He requested the various airlines to continuously inform their passengers of their revised flight schedules and make sure that their personnel are at hand to assist in attending to passenger concerns. (MVI/SunStar Philippines)