This was the scene at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport as passengers wait for their cancelled flights. (Reuters)
First update: August 18, 2018,7:23 PM
Manila, Philippines
Passengers left sleeping on floors
Thousands of passengers were left scrambling to rebook flights and remained stranded for the third day at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
Aileen Alcuitas from Vancouver is still waiting in the airport for a flight after a cancelled PAL flight last Friday.
Alcuitas left a week ago for Carcar City in Cebu to attend to his father’s funeral and was supposed to be back yesterday (Friday).
She said they were provided ‘cardboard’ to sleep on and still not sure when they can fly back.
Another Filipina passenger from Surrey, B.C. was also stranded.
The international runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has been reopened just before Saturday noon, almost 36 hours after a Xiamen plane overshot the runway, reports GMA News Online.
“”NAIA’s international runway 06/24 is now open for flight operations,” the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
The Manila International Airport Authority was quoted as saying regular flights were being prioritized, while “recovering” flights — or those that got delayed or rebooked — will have to wait until midnight before they be accommodated.
The Xiamen plane, which was carrying Xiamen Air Flight MF8667 when it skidded off the runway of the NAIA before Thursday midnight due to the rains, was lifted from the runway around 2 a.m. Saturday and transferred to the remote parking bay of Balabag Aviation Complex.
A mobile crane was used to lift the airplane. Clearing operations were conducted by the MIAA after the plane was lifted to ensure that Runway 06/24 is clear before operations can go back to normal.
Around 150 flights have been canceled due the incident, while others were diverted to the Clark International Airport.
The MIAA on Friday apologized to airline passengers for the inconvenience caused by the incident.
The runway was originally scheduled to re-open Friday afternoon, but was pushed back to early Saturday morningafter personnel had a hard time lifting the airplane, according to GMA News.
The latest from Manila:
As of 7 a.m., the following 7 international and 44 domestic flights have been cancelled, according to the Manila International Airport Authority:
TERMINAL 1
PR 104/105 Manila – San Francisco – Manila
PR 654 Manila – Riyadh
TERMINAL 2
PR 418/419 Manila – Pusan – Manila
2P 2519/2520 Manila – Cagayan – Manila
2P 2151/2152 Manila – Iloilo – Manila
TERMINAL 3
5J 110/111 Manila – Hong Kong – Manila
5J 651/652 Manila – Tacloban – Manila
5J 991/992 Manila – General Santos – Manila
5J 703/704 Manila – Dipolog – Manila
5J 483/484 Manila – Bacolod – Manila
5J 995/996 Manila – General Santos – Manila
5J 196/197 Manila – Cauyan – Manila
5J 321/322 Manila – Legazpi – Manila
5J 637/638 Manila – Puerto Princesa – Manila
5J 504/505 Manila – Tuguegarao – Manila
5J 821/822 Manila – Virac – Manila
5J 623/624 Manila – Dumaguete – Manila
5J 781/782 Manila – Ozamiz – Manila
5J 385/386 Manila – Cagayan
5J 551 Manila – Cebu
5J 562 Cebu – Manila
2P 2967/2968 Manila – Butuan – Manila
2P 2921/2922 Manila – Legazpi – Manila
2P 2993/2994 Manila – Zamboanga – Manila
2P 2889/2890 Manila – Ozamiz – Manila
2P 2557/2558 Manila – Dipolog – Manila
2P 2203/2204 Manila – Roxas – Manila
Philippine Airlines said affected passengers may refund or rebook their flights at its ticket offices nationwide that will open Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Passengers may also call PAL Hotline (+632) 855-8888 or visit www.philippineairlines.com’s ManageMyBooking portal, the airline said.
Some 165 flights on Friday and Saturday were cancelled after a Xiamen Airlines aircraft’s bumpy landing, according to airport media officer Connie Bungag.